Responding to the Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 among Latinx Patients in Baltimore: The JHM Latinx Anchor Strategy

Kathleen R. Page, Alicia Wilson, Katherine Hartmann Phillips, Alejandra Flores-Miller, Monica Guerrero Vazquez, Benjamin F. Bigelow, Jacqueline N. Bryan, Adrianna Moore, Tina Tolson, Nicki McCann, Stephen D. Sisson, Ann Parker, Emily Brigham, Inez Stewart, Sherita H. Golden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Latinx immigrants have been profoundly impacted by COVID-19. As the Johns Hopkins Health System faced a surge in admissions of limited English proficiency patients with COVID-19, it became evident that an institutional strategy to address the needs of this patient population was needed. The Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) Latinx Anchor Strategy was established in April 2020 with diverse stakeholder engagement to identify the most urgent community needs and develop timely solutions. The JHM Latinx Anchor Strategy provided a platform for information sharing to promote equitable access to resources for Latinxs with limited English proficiency who were impacted by COVID-19. Leveraging institutional, community, and government resources and expertise, the JHM Latinx Anchor Strategy helped establish interventions to improve access to COVID-19 testing and care for low-income immigrants without a primary care doctor and helped mitigate economic vulnerability through the distribution of food for 2,677 individuals and cash to 446 families and 95 individuals (May to August 2020). Expanded linguistic and culturally competent communication through webinars and livestream events reached more than 10,000 community members and partners. Over 7,500 limited English proficiency patients received linguistically congruent direct patient services through the Esperanza Center bilingual hotline, community testing resulting efforts, and inpatient consultations. The first stage of the JHM Latinx Anchor Strategy relied heavily on volunteer efforts. Funding for a sustainable response will be required to address ongoing COVID-19 needs, including expansion of the bilingual/bicultural healthcare workforce, expanded access to primary care, and investments in population health strategies addressing social determinants of health.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)230-237
Number of pages8
JournalHealth Security
Volume20
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Community engagement
  • Health equity
  • Hospital preparedness/response
  • Latinx

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Safety Research

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