TUESDAY'S OPENING OF A NEW
VACCINATION CENTER IN THE
REGENCY MALCOM PLEX.
SPECIFICALLY, OFFICIALS CALLED
ATTENTION TO THE INEQUITIES
RELATED TO WHO'S GETTING THE
VACCINE AND WHO ISN'T.
JUST OVER 23% OF WHITE RESIDENTS
HAVE BEEN VACCINATED COMPARED TO
9.5% OF HISPANIC RESIDENTS.
FABI MALDONADO JOINS US.
>> SO THE STATE'S THIRD CLINIC
OPENED IN RACINE THIS WEEK.
HOW WELL ATTENDED IS IT BY FOLKS
COMING TO GET THEIR VACCINE?
HOW'S IT GOING?
>> YEAH.
SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
WE HAD, THAT WE HAVE A HUGE
POPULATION HERE, COMMUNITY OF
COLOR AND IT DISPROPORTIONATELY
WAS AFFECTING OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH
COALITIONS, NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS, COUPLE OTHER
GROUPS HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING
AND PUSHING, YOU KNOW, --
HELPING THE COUNTY AND CITY
TARGET AREAS, HARD TO REACH
AREAS.
FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, YOU KNOW,
FOLKS DON'T GET THE SAME
INFORMATION AS OTHER PEOPLE AND
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS NOT
ONLY SHARE INFORMATION IN THESE
AREAS, BUT ESSENTIALLY BRING
FOLKS INTO THESE FACILITIES TO
GET VACCINATED AND REALLY GET
PEOPLE TO SEE THAT VACCINATIONS
ARE HELPING IT WORK IN THE
COMMUNITY.
>> YEAH.
>> SO, YEAH.
ORIGINALLY I THINK THEY SAID
THEY WERE GOING TO DO 200
VACCINATIONS STARTING ON THAT
TUESDAY, MAYBE THE FIRST COUPLE
OF DAYS, MAYBE WEEK.
BUT THEN THE GOAL WAS TO GET TO
1,000 VACCINATIONS.
>> WELL, THAT'S GREAT NEWS.
IT CAN BE HARD TO NAVIGATE THIS.
WE WILL PUT UP THE WEBSITE AND
PHONE NUMBER FOR PEOPLE TO
REGISTER IN A MINUTE.
BUT HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOUR
COUNTY TO HAVE THIS CLINIC AND
AFFORD THAT ACCESS?
>> I THINK IT'S CRITICAL.
IT'S CRITICAL THAT THE STATE,
THE CITY AND THE COUNTY IS ON
THE SAME PAGE, WHEN WE'RE ALL
WORKING REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE
THAT CONTINUES HAPPENING.
AND IT'S CRITICAL THAT FOLKS GET
VACCINATED AND TRY TO GET -- SO
WE CAN TRY TO GET BACK TO NORMAL
AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND WE HAVE -- THERE'S A LOT OF
ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN THE LATINX
COMMUNITY.
THERE'S PEOPLE WHO WORK IN
GROCERY STORES, HOSPITALS,
DRIVING BUSES.
THEY HAVE TO GET TO WORK.
THEY PICK YOUR PRODUCE.
THEY HELP AT THE GROCERY STORE.
THEY'RE AT THE RESTAURANTS.
AND FOLKS ARE WORKING EVERY
SINGLE DAY AND IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT THAT WE SPREAD THE
NEWS AND TRY TO GET AS MANY
PEOPLE INVOLVED AS POSSIBLE TO
SAVE LIVES.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING
TO ELIMINATE AS MANY BARRIERS AS
POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO GET
VACCINATED, LIKE FREE BUS RIDES,
FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATION,
ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH
VISUAL OR HEARING IMPAIRMENTS.
DO THESE THINGS MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF BRINGING
PEOPLE IN?
HAVE YOU HEARD THAT?
>> NIGHT AND DAY.
ONE OF THE BARRIERS IS THE
LANGUAGE BARRIER.
FOLKS REACH OUT TO ME ALL THE
TIME WHEN THEY HAVE QUESTIONS
AROUND GOVERNMENT AID OR THEY
GET LETTERS IN THE MAIL FROM THE
CITY OR WHATNOT.
SAME THING FOR WHEN THEY GO TO
THE HOSPITAL.
IF THERE ISN'T BILINGUAL
SIGNAGE, FOLKS HELPING THEM STEP
BY STEP -- I WENT TO GO GET
VACCINATED ABOUT A WEEK AND A
HALF AGO AND THERE WERE SIGNS
THAT REALLY HELPED ME OUT.
BUT THEN THERE WAS A LOT OF
QUESTIONS THAT I HAD.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M ONE OF THE
PRIVILEGED PEOPLE THAT CAN SPEAK
TWO LANGUAGES SO I WAS ABLE TO
NAVIGATE THAT EASIER.
FOR FOLKS WHO CAN ONLY SPEAK
SPANISH HAVE A HARD TIME.
>> THERE CAN BE SOME HESITANCY
FOR HISPANIC WHO MAY MISTRUST
GOVERNMENT.
WHAT IS THAT ABOUT AND WHAT ARE
YOU HAVE DOING ABOUT IT?
>> YEAH.
I FEEL LIKE GOVERNMENT HAS, YOU
KNOW, NOT ALWAYS GIVEN THE
LATINX POPULATION A FAIR SHAKE.
FOLKS DON'T ALWAYS FEEL WELCOME.
THEY ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER
EXPERIENCES WITH COUNTRIES WHERE
SOME FOLKS MIGHT COME FROM WHERE
THERE'S JUST A MISTRUST OF
GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL, FROM
MULTIPLE DIFFERENT FOSH -- FOR
MULTIPLE DIFFERENT REASONS.
ONE OF THE GOALS IS TO BRING
FOLKS INTO THE FOLD AND SAY THIS
IS WHAT -- SAFETY IS -- THIS IS
HOW WE GET BACK TO NORMAL.
THIS IS SAFETY.
FOLKS DON'T WANT TO -- FOLKS
WANT TO -- I THINK THE VAST
MAJORITY OF FOLKS WANT TO GET IN
LINE AND GET THIS VACCINATION
AND I THINK A LOT OF IT HAS TO
DO WITH US GETTING INFORMATION
OUT THERE.
>> YEAH.
AND JUST LASTLY, I UNDERSTAND
THAT YOU WERE ALSO MESSAGING
THAT PEOPLE WHO COME TO GET
VACCINATIONS, THEY DON'T HAVE TO
SHOW THEIR LICENSE, THEY DON'T
HAVE TO SHOW A SOCIAL SECURITY
CARD, THAT KIND OF THING.
>> CORRECT.
>> JUST ANOTHER WAY TO REDUCE
BARRIERS BECAUSE EVERYBODY WANTS
SHOTS IN ARMS.
WE APPRECIATE VERY MUCH,
SUPERVISOR.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
I APPRECIATE IT.
>> AS PROMISED, THE WEBSITE FOR
REGISTERING IN RACINE IS
VACCINATE.W I..GOV OR YOU CAN
CALL 8 HAD 4-684-10-1064 TO