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.

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.

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.

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:

• Arabic
• Burmese
• English
• Karen
• Kinyarwanda
• Nepali
• Spanish
• Somali
• Swahili
• Vietnamese

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.

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.

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