Wisconsin Special Populations

NASW’s national Connect to End COVID-19 campaign, a CDC-funded initiative to support social workers and their clients in informed vaccine decision-making (2021-2024).

Learn about Connect to End COVID-19

In the News

• A Health Equity Science Approach to Assessing Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Disparities . The use of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) during the COVID-19 response revealed that COVID-19 vaccination coverage disparities persist across younger populations and rural areas, underscoring the importance of addressing social vulnerability factors such as housing, transportation, and geographic location.  This study demonstrates that vaccination efforts in high-vulnerability areas were successful in increasing coverage among older adults, but significant gaps remain among children and adults aged 18-64 years, particularly in rural settings.
• UW–Madison’s Henry discusses race and COVID-19 educational disparities on PBS Wisconsin
• This year, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority (OMH) is observing AA and NHPI Heritage Month through its theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections , which calls on each of us to understand how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances of AA and NHPI populations impact their overall health.
• COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage, and Rates of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization Among Residents in Nursing Homes
• the pandemic exposed staff shortages at nursing homes. a new white house push aims for a remedy
• older adults need another covid-19 vaccine. these talking points recommend an additional booster vaccine for older and immunocompromised adults. a related social media graphic is also available. share with your communities!
• wisconsin hospital closures leave communities scrambling
• new article from cdc and partners: highlighting the p4ve program to engage community partners to reduce disparities in adult covid-19 immunization uptake
• highlighting national organizations such as the national urban league and asian & pacific islander american health forum who engage community-based organizations to take action, this publication underscores lessons learned from the program, including:
• the importance of directly supporting and engaging with the community
• providing tailored messages and access to vaccines to reach communities where they are
• training messengers who are trusted by those in the community
• providing support to funded partners through trainings on program design and implementation that can be institutionalized and sustained
• building on these lessons will ensure cdc and partners can continue to advance vaccine equity, increase vaccine uptake, improve health outcomes, and build trust with communities as part of a comprehensive adult immunization infrastructure.
• webinar - january 22nd:creating culturally and linguistically relevant health education materials
• each year from september 15 to october 15, our nation observes national hispanic heritage month – a time to celebrate the achievements, histories, traditions, and cultural diversity of hispanic and latino americans. the theme of this year’s hispanic heritage month is “todos somos, somos uno” – or “we are all, we are one.” in honor of this observance,
  • montgomery county immunization coalition (pennsylvania) and partner organizations created bilingual social media images and messages anyone can use to encourage patients to stay up-to-date on all recommended vaccines during national hispanic heritage month.
  • in addition, immunize.org offers a variety of resources available in spanish, including translated handouts for patients and healthcare personnel and spanish-language vaccine information statements (viss) . 
• ask the experts: back-to-school vaccines in spanish —montgomery county immunization coalition | virtual | august 30 7pm
• check it out! the covid data tracker allows you to explore covid-19 data focused on health equity and specific populations. health equity data can be explored in various categories such as demographics, vulnerability, special populations, health care settings and geographic distribution.
  
• hhs office of minority health (omh) developed a set of resource guides on best practices to advance cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity toward asian american, native hawaiian, and pacific islander (aa and nh/pi) communities in the context of the federal covid-19 response. in line with the presidential memorandum condemning and combating racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against asian americans and pacific islanders in the united states, this series includes:

  • language access resource guide
  • community engagement resource guide
  • data disaggregation resource guide

  to learn more, click here!
• focus on the fathers-the covid-19 pandemic was hard on low-income, noncustodial fathers in milwaukee, who often struggled to find flexible work that allowed them to be present and support their children. tova walsh, a researcher with the sandra rosenbaum school of social work, headed a research project designed to listen to their stories and work toward supporting fathers and their families. read more
  
  
• people with disabilities and older adults, particularly those who live in congregate or group settings are particularly vulnerable to the virus.
  
• relationship between mental health diagnoses and covid-19 test positivity, hospitalization, and mortality in southeast wisconsin
• we are pleased to share a new feature on the partnering for vaccine equity resource hub! see how a family-owned pharmacy in virginia has spent the past 3 years working to close the gap in vaccinating minorities and underserved communities against covid-19. the pharmacy is owned and operated by an african american woman, and so far, they’ve given over 22,000 vaccinations.
  
• check it out! the covid data tracker allows you to explore covid-19 data focused on health equity and specific populations.  health equity data can be explored in various categories such as demographics, vulnerability, special populations, health care settings and geographic distribution. 
• are covid-19 vaccines still free? yes
• outreach campaign targets vaccine-hesitant rural wisconsinites
  
• wisconsin's black covid vaccine rate barely trails the u.s. here's what's being done to turn things around in the state
• hmong and hispanic communities face vaccine challenges
• wisconsin re-launching vaccine awareness campaign

covid-19 resources

social workers support informed decision making about important healthcare choices, provide health information from credible sources, and address mental and behavioral health concerns arising as a result of this public health crisis.

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