St. Cloud elementary vaccine clinic latest in efforts to reach underserved populations

Dr. Jill Amsberry has seen firsthand what she calls the strange lingering side effects of COVID-19: patients with loss of taste and smell one year after infection, long-term fatigue and headaches, and even recurring fevers with no known source.

As a pediatrician, the helplessness she sees in patients and their families is even more heartbreaking. The bright spot for her is that for the past six weeks, children ages 5-11 have started getting COVID-19 vaccinations to help prevent infections and reduce illness severity.

But lack of access, mistrust in the health care system and cultural differences continue to be barriers for some families.

"Early on, when CentraCare had vaccine availability, we were trying to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccine, understanding our communities of color or underserved areas were at greater risk of disease and, in particular, severe disease," said Amsberry, who works for St. Cloud-based CentraCare. "We know it's sometimes hard for them to get to us so we're bringing the vaccine to them."

Outreach efforts have included vaccination clinics at churches or nonprofits — or even by bus to apartments that house underserved populations. Over the next several weeks, CentraCare is partnering with the St. Cloud school district to offer vaccines for students ages 5-11 — as well as their families — at Discovery, Madison and Talahi elementary schools. The clinics are Dec. 18 and Jan. 8.

"There's no better place to find children than in schools," Amsberry said.

Mike Rivard, assistant superintendent of elementary education, said St. Cloud Metro Bus is providing free transportation to families attending the clinics. The district is working to reach families through social media and other messaging in English, Somali and Spanish.

Statewide, about 71% of residents ages 5 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose. Rates drop for communities of color: about 63% of Hispanic residents and 60% of Black residents 5 and older have received at least one dose, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. In St. Cloud schools, about 8% of students identify as Hispanic or Latino; about 41% identify as Black.

Liz Vicente, a community health and wellness nurse for CentraCare, works mostly with the Hispanic community, whose conservative culture and mistrust of institutions have been barriers, she said.

"The main idea [is] to have vaccines available in a neutral place where families can feel safe," Vicente said.

Hani Omar-Jacobson, a community health specialist for CentraCare, often works with the Somali community. One of the biggest barriers, she said, is misinformation about vaccines.

"For every one message we put out there, there's 10 that are disinformation. Communities of color and immigrants are especially targeted," Omar-Jacobson said. "We want to make sure people are able to get [vaccinated] and, if not, at the very least build some relationships so that we're building on that long-term trust we're going to need for the future."

"I do think a lot of parents feel like this age range has mild disease," said Amsberry, who noted children are still at risk of developing potentially life-threatening conditions from COVID-19 such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome. "We absolutely are seeing that in our St. Cloud clinics.

"The greatest challenge right now is we are trying to take care of those children and also are seeing children being admitted for RSV [and] influenza," she added. "We only have so many beds available to take care of sick children in the state."

Amsberry said it's important to educate families and emphasize that children are contributing to spread of the disease even if they have no symptoms or mild symptoms.

"The best treatment is prevention," she said. "Let's just not get the disease in the first place."