New Mexico Department of Health Collaborates with Community Partners to Ensure Equitable Access to the COVID Vaccine and Build Long-term Health Support

by Mescalero Apache Tribe | June 23, 2021 8:52 am

Support to bolster vaccination equity efforts and long-term health and well-being efforts for New Mexico communities hit hardest by COVID-19

SANTA FE– The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is proud to announce the partnership with the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (AAESTEC), Con Alma Health Foundation and the University of New Mexico Center for Social Policy to build on our established community-centered vaccination strategy to ensure racial equity, strengthen community support and address the long-term health needs of communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in New Mexico.

“Ensuring equitable access to the vaccine is a must to help protect all New Mexicans from this pandemic,” said NMDOH Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Tracie Collins.

With grants totaling $4.6 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, this collaborative partnership will work with community organizations to ensure that people of color continue to have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and rebuild and reimagine new quality health support systems to reduce racial disparity gaps in health indicators in the future.

“Working together will help us to examine how our respective organizations may be contributing to institutional barriers that create inequities or how we are dismantling them,” said AASTEC Program Director, Michelle Suina, Ph.D. “It is critical that we recognize Tribal sovereignty and listen to Tribal communities about how they define health and the solutions they have to drive our efforts.” 

As of June 21, 2021, 60% of New Mexicans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. While New Mexico continues to rank among the U.S. vaccine leaders, with over 68.4% of New Mexicans age 16 or older having received at least one shot, that does not mean that the effort to vaccinate New Mexicans is over.

“Thanks to this multisectoral partnership, Con Alma Health Foundation is awarding grants to nonprofits, ensuring COVID vaccines are distributed equitably across the state and to support communities of color to address the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on them,” said Executive Director of Con Alma Health Foundation. Denise Herrera. “Focusing on the community rebuild and creating a post COVID-19 recovery plan focused on long-term policies and system-change strategies to advance health equity, Con Alma is partnering with the New Mexico Health Equity Partnership to expand the capacity of existing networks as well as leverage resources.”

“The statewide survey project included input from all of these partners and has been integrated quickly into community outreach efforts. The messaging survey is another example of the collaborative approach that has helped make New Mexico a national leader in vaccination, and that we believe will allow us to beat the virus,” said Executive Director of UNM Center for Social Policy, Gabe Sanchez, Ph.D. “Although we are all focused on vaccination now, we know that there will be much more long-term needs in our communities. This partnership will ensure that we have data-driven solutions for these challenges that can us address the structural inequalities that have been exposed during the pandemic.”  

For more information on each organization, please see details below.

Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology (AASTEC)[1]

Con Alma Health Foundation[2]

New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH)[3]

UNM Center for Social Policy[4]

The results of the American COVID-19 Vaccine Poll including the New Mexico sample can be found here[5]. Reports summarizing the New Mexico results can be found here[6].

Source URL: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/15058/new-mexico-department-of-health-collaborates-with-community-partners-to-ensure-equitable-access-to-the-covid-vaccine-and-build-long-term-health-support/

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