skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

AR Community Health Centers Breaking Down Barriers to COVID Vaccine

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 9, 2021   

MARIANNA, Ark. -- With last week's announcement the Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in children ages 5-11, community health centers in Arkansas and beyond are gearing up to reach children and their families who might still be wary of getting the shot.

Kellee Farris, CEO of the Lee County Cooperative Clinic in eastern Arkansas, the state's oldest community health center, said rural Lee County has dealt with a variety of socioeconomic disparities that may be contributing to vaccine hesitancy among residents.

Farris emphasized with the approval of the Pfizer vaccine for younger children, they are heading into schools and setting up a mass texting system for parents to get information at their fingertips.

"We are able to reach people who aren't our patients with these dispelling myths and just short texts with links to where they can find more information from the CDC or from the Arkansas Department of Health," Farris explained.

Farris pointed out one challenge has been the spread of misinformation about the vaccine by a few influential people in the county. About 33% of county residents age 12 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to state health department data.

Dr. Ron Yee, chief medical officer for the National Association of Community Health Centers said in the ongoing efforts to reach the unvaccinated, these kinds of clinics play a key role in building trust in medical systems.

Yee stated they can ultimately help encourage those most resistant to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Most of the people that work in health centers are from the community," Yee observed. "Many of these people had a relationship in terms of family members, neighbors, people they know from the community. And then I think the longevity of the relationship, you really need a trusted broker to get these vaccines out."

Community health centers have completed nearly 16 million COVID vaccines across the country so far. The clinics have provided a variety of health care to low-income people and hard-to-reach populations since the mid-1960s.

Disclosure: National Association of Community Health Centers contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021