California health officials say more COVID-19 vaccines go to wealthy communities than poor communities at risk

California health officials say that despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to fairly distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to the state’s nearly 40 million people, people living in the poorest communities are receiving the vaccine in lower levels than those living in wealthier areas.

Newsom has partnered with the federal government to set up mass vaccination sites in lower-income neighborhoods in Oakland and Los Angeles. He also tasked insurer Blue Shield with centralizing California’s patchwork vaccination system, asking the Kaiser Permanente hospital chain for help.

Yet officials of community health centers that serve as a safety net for the poor in the health equity-focused United States say they are not getting enough doses for their patients – the very residents. at risk that the State must vaccinate.

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In California, nearly 1,400 of these centers provide free or low-cost services to about 7 million people, many in communities with a higher concentration of low-income families and few providers who take Medicaid – known in California under the name Medi-Cal. Many of their clients speak a language other than English, work long hours and lack transportation.

Dr Efrain Talamantes, director of operations for AltaMed Health Services, told The Associated Press it was disheartening to see the initial doses go elsewhere while his patients continued to test positive for the virus.

“There is a clear disparity any time there is a finite resource,” he said.

Most states are looking for ways to distribute a limited supply of vaccine, resulting in a mishmash of methods in the absence of a federal plan. California allocates vaccine doses to eligible groups, including teachers and farm workers. Free-for-all has allowed people with the most resources to get vaccinated.

As California has stepped up its immunization efforts through mobile and pop-up clinics in churches, workplaces, and schools, state data shows relatively few vaccines have gone to Latinos and blacks compared to their own. populations.

African Americans received 3% of vaccine doses despite making up 6% of the state. Latinos, who make up 39% of the state, received 17% of the doses.

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Blue Shield officials say they plan to keep health centers that already administer vaccines open, but clinics fear they will not receive enough doses.

Health centers observed with dismay that vaccines for health workers were initially sent to major hospitals in December. Then they saw better-off English speakers more Internet-savvy with time to browse web portals and travel long distances for appointments flocked to vaccination arenas.

When Orange County began opening large-scale vaccination sites in mid-January, community health centers also requested doses, said Isabel Becerra, executive director of the Coalition of Community Health Centers of the Orange County.

“We don’t have transportation. We don’t speak English. We don’t understand the technology you are asking us to use to register and queue. So can we vaccinate those 65 and over in comfort? of their own facilities? ”she said.

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Jodie Wingo, interim president of the Riverside and San Bernardino County Community Health Association, said member clinics were expanding to inoculate more than 500,000 patients. But now they only get a few dozen doses at a time.

“Everyone is working for fairness, but it doesn’t sound fair. At all, ”she said.

FOX Business has contacted Governor Newsom’s press office for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.