COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Whatcom Hispanics. Here’s what could help
Hispanic people are being disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus in Whatcom County, according to data from the county Department of Health.
Although Hispanic people make up about 9% of the county population, they represent 29% of confirmed cases, according to the latest Whatcom County Health Department data released Monday, Aug. 3. Statewide, Hispanic people account for 13% of the population yet make up 44% of confirmed cases, according to state data.
Meanwhile, white people, who make up 82% of the population in Whatcom County, account for 62% of confirmed cases, according to the data. As cases continue to rise, Latino leaders across the state are demanding more action to support their vulnerable communities.
Rosalinda Guillen from Community to Community, a local agriculture worker advocacy organization, said she is not surprised by the disparity, because Latinos have faced systemic challenges in Whatcom County for years. She added she does not think there is sufficient testing in the county.
“I don’t believe there is adequate testing happening in the Latinx and farmworker community in Whatcom County right now,” Guillen said. “And I don’t believe there is enough of a focus being put into it.”
The Whatcom County Health Department said it cannot draw conclusions about why the Hispanic population is disproportionately impacted, according to an emailed statement. However, socioeconomic factors may be contributing to the disparity.
“The COVID-19 crisis has magnified long-standing inequalities and the ways that systemic racism and oppression has an effect on health,” the statement read.
Gino Aisenberg, the co-director of the Latino Center for Health at the University of Washington, called the lack of attention to the issue a systemic problem requiring immediate action.
“The urgency with which to act just has not been demonstrated in a sustained way,” Aisenberg said. “If the coin was flipped and those rates were demonstrated upon other communities including white populations, I think there’d be a greater urgency.”
Bilingual scarcity
Aisenberg said he thinks the disproportionate impact on Hispanic communities may be the result of systemic racism and overwhelmed health departments across the state.
He said there is a scarcity of bilingual health care providers across the state, and health departments need to be more proactive in considering race and ethnicity.
The Whatcom County Health Department told The Bellingham Herald that six staff members speak Spanish out of 83 permanent staff and 10 temporary workers. Additionally, two of the department’s 18 COVID-19 volunteers speak Spanish.
For the state data, about 32% of confirmed cases are not associated with any race or ethnicity. Aisenberg said the disparity between Hispanic and non-Hispanic people could even be greater if the race and ethnicity of that 32% was known.
“In some ways, not getting that information can hide the harsh realities that communities of color, including Latinx communities, are experiencing through COVID-19,” Aisenberg said.
To improve the situation in the near term, Aisenberg said health departments need to meet Hispanic communities where they are to conduct testing and outreach.
The center Aisenberg co-directs is also preparing to survey Latino communities, pursuing grants to enhance testing and study the impact of the virus and organizing an informational webinar for September.
On a state-wide level, the Civic Latino Alliance has also advocated for the state and local governments to focus on meeting the needs of Hispanic communities where they are, said board chair Nina Martinez. She said her organization has heard a lot of confusion about where testing sites are and whether people will be charged.
“My priority right now is making sure the counties do better to communicate to community leaders about where free testing is and what resources are available,” Martinez said. “It can’t just be on a website, it has to be radio, other means of communication, going to the markets where Latino’s shop, where they are at.”
The Whatcom County Department of Health said it has established relationships with local growers to identify and respond to potential symptoms among staff. The department also has worked with Sea Mar community health center on its Seasonal Farmworker Promotores program to conduct Spanish-language outreach.
Additionally, the health department said it has connected Catholic Community Services of Western Washington with the Whatcom Community Foundation to assist impacted farmworkers with rent, food and utility expenses.
Accessible testing
However, Guillen said these efforts have not been enough. She said she thinks the county health department needs to make testing more accessible, communicate that it is free and collect more data about this population.
“We are demanding that the county health department have a mobile unit that actually goes to the area where farmworkers are,” Guillen said.
With at least 57 outbreaks, the agriculture and food processing industry leads the state in the number of outbreaks outside healthcare settings, according to a Tuesday, Aug. 4, report from the Washington State Department of Health. In these settings, a total of 411 outbreaks have been reported through July 25, including 44 at food-related manufacturing settings, 44 at retail and grocery settings and 44 at food service or restaurant settings.
Guillen said she thinks it’s inappropriate to test at workplaces because many workers fear retaliation from their employers if they test positive and have to take time off. She added police should not be present at testing sites because the community does not trust law enforcement.
She added she has heard from agriculture workers who have gotten sick but are afraid to speak out about it. As essential workers, she said many farmworkers are on the front lines out of necessity.
“It’s just heartbreaking that we are being sacrificed for the harvest,” Guillen said. “I know that the industry doesn’t really agree with it, but it is what it is.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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