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Covid-19 vaccine equity. Tools, resources, and information to help enusre Kansas' underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Federal COVID-19 Pandemic Vaccination Equity Supplemental Funding (PAVE) program provides funding for Kansas to support local efforts to increase vaccine uptake by expanding COVID-19 vaccine programs and ensuring greater equity and access to vaccines by those disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including high-risk and underserved populations such as racial and ethnic minorities and rural communities.

Courtney Hayden, Equity Liaison with KDHE is available to discuss the grant and help potential applicants determine if it’s a good suit for them. She can be reached at [email protected].



KDHE Vacúnate Kansas

Check out Vacúnate Kansas! It's a fully Spanish website from KDHE with COVID-19 vaccine testimonials, vaccine location information, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Share this resource in your community to help Spanish-speaking Kansans find the information they need to make the decision to get vaccinated.

Mi Chat Sobre Vacunas COVID

CDC and WhatsApp, a multiplatform messaging app, launched "Mi Chat Sobre Vacunas COVID" to help Spanish-speaking communities find information about vaccine locations and get answers to frequently asked questions with the goal of increasing vaccination rates among Latinx Americans.

Find your Vaccine on WhatsApp (Spanish)

Vaccination Equity Form

Kansas equity-focused vaccination clinics and community organizations can use the Equity Form to:

  • Request resources from KDHE (e.g., doses, vaccination staff)
  • Ask to be introduced to a provider to schedule a vaccination event for your community
  • Offer support at vaccine sites (e.g., transportation, vaccination staff, publicity)

Please complete this form if applicable, as well as circulate this resource broadly and encourage use of the Equity Form. If needing assistance, click here.

Resources

Vaccination Event Community Partner Support
If you require additional support for vaccination events, KDHE has developed a repository of available community partners across the state by county, each indicating the types of supports they can offer. Access the spreadsheet here. Please reach out to the contacts listed to request support for your vaccination site.

Kansas COVID-19 Equity Taskforce (COVET)

Past Meetings
2022 Recordings
Mar 9
2021 Recordings
Apr 14 / Apr 28 / May 27 / Jun 23 / Jul 28 /
Aug 25 / Sept 22 / Nov 17 / Dec 15

Press Release (4/15/21): Gov. Kelly Launches First COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Taskforce Meeting

The Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Taskforce (COVET) is tasked with breaking down barriers about vaccinations, such as access, transportation, language barriers, or misinformation; and providing information and messages that resonate with Kansans who have questions about the vaccine. In collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, this effort is spearheaded by Dr. Marci Nielsen, Chief Adviser to the Governor for COVID-19 Coordination and Dr. Ximena Garcia, Special Adviser to the Governor for COVID-19 Vaccination Equity. The launch of the Vaccine Equity Taskforce serves as another step toward vaccine equity.

Washington State Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 Webpage in Multiple Languages

This resource includes information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine, safety and effectiveness, vaccine requirements, school and child care, life after the vaccine, and vaccine booster and additional doses. This tool is easy to use, simply select the preferred language using the drop-down button on Cov Vaccine.org.

Webpages are available in these languages: Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), Chuukese, Dari, Farsi, Fijian, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Karen, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Lao, Marshallese, Mixteco Bajo, Nepali, Oromo, Pashto, Portuguese – Brazil, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Tongan, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Children's Mercy: Truth about Vaccines Handout (Designed for Refugee Audiences)

This handout contains helpful, easy-to-read information for all regarding the truth about vaccines, though it was designed especially for refugee audiences.

This handout was developed by a team at Children's Mercy who has been working with Kansas refugee populations and saw the need for truly easy-to-read vaccine documents.

Languages:

THE CONVERSATION: Between Us, About Us

THE CONVERSATION: "It's time for Black folks to have conversation between us, about us." Between Us, About Us is a new campaign to provide Black communities with credible information about the COVID-19 vaccines co-developed by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) and the Black Coalition Against COVID. Black doctors, nurses and researchers dispel misinformation and provide accessible facts in 50 FAQ videos that deliver the information Black people are asking for about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Kansas Vaccine Information

Visit www.kansasvaccine.gov for more information about the COVID-19 Vaccine. In the top right select your preferred translation using the language widget. Click on the Español tab to access the Spanish Version.

Language widget in the top right

PSA from Governor Kelly
"Let's Cumbia Together Again" #COVID19

Multilingual COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ Videos
Southwest Kansas medical professionals created 11 multilingual videos to address common concerns and questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Meet Dr. Garcia: Governor Kelly's Advisor on COVID-19 Vaccination Equity

Ximena Montserrat Garcia, MD is the newly appointed Senior Advisor for Covid Vaccine Equity. Dr. Garcia is a bilingual Internal Medicine physician and a passionate advocate for children.

Since moving to Topeka in 2003, Dr. Garcia has worked to improve health outcomes for Kansans through her work at the Marian Community Clinic, as Health Commissioner for the State Employee Health Care Plan, and by offering free sports physicals to middle- and high-school youths. Dr. Garcia was also instrumental in establishing the Topeka High Campus Care Clinic, a primary care clinic for staff and students at Topeka High School.

In addition to her medical work, Dr. Garcia is focused on ending childhood hunger and increasing educational opportunities for Kansas youth. In particular, she is the founder of Raise Kansas, a non-profit under the umbrella of the Kansas Action for Children, that brought fresh lunches and engaging learning opportunities to children during the summer months. Dr. Garcia has also served as a board member for the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, Kansas Action for Children, Topeka Community Foundation, and Kansas Citizens District Council.

Prior to moving to Topeka, Dr. Garcia practiced Internal Medicine in Boston, Houston, and Santa Fe. Dr. Garcia holds an AB Biological Sciences, Genetics and Development from Cornell University and an M.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Garcia and her husband Craig Gernon, MD, a Kansas native from Hiawatha, live in Topeka, and they have four adult children.

KSHB News Article (March 10, 2021): Kansas governor brings on advisor for COVID-19 vaccine equity