Hispanics

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Arkansas organizations aim to engage growing Hispanic electorate

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From the Arkansas Advocate:

Ahead of the 2024 election, Arkansans like Josh Sol are working to engage Hispanic voters, one of the country’s fastest-growing electorates.

A native of Springdale, Sol wants to establish a Washington County chapter of the Democratic Party of Arkansas’ statewide Hispanic Caucus.

“It is where I live, it’s also one of the largest Hispanic and Latino populations in the state,” he said. “In terms of competitive districts where we can flip seats, it’s also a prime place to do that.”

Arkansas organizations aim to engage growing Hispanic electorate

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UAMS Researchers Find High Willingness Among Marshallese, Hispanics to Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot

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By David Wise

FAYETTEVILLE — Marshallese and Hispanic communities in Northwest Arkansas are largely receptive to receiving COVID-19 booster shots if advised by a health care provider, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Office of Community Health & Research.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected Marshallese and Hispanic communities in Northwest Arkansas at such a high rate that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) visited the area in the summer of 2020 to investigate the causes of infection among those populations and barriers to safe quarantine. During the height of the pandemic, the Marshallese and Hispanic populations made up 64% of local COVID-19 cases, while only accounting for about 20% of the region’s population. According to data from the National Institutes of Health, Marshallese populations also suffered a death rate due to COVID-19 of about 93 times higher than Caucasians.

Marshallese and Hispanic community members experienced several barriers to vaccination, including language, access to vaccine sites and limited transportation, according to both CDC- and NIH-funded research. The lack of access to vaccine sites prompted UAMS Office of Community Health & Research and local organizations to host culturally appropriate vaccine events with bilingual community health workers (CHWs) at various community locations — such as churches, community centers and job sites — where participants felt more comfortable.

UAMS Researchers Find High Willingness Among Marshallese, Hispanics to Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot | UAMS News