At a St. Paul community clinic, trust makes a difference during COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Nearly one year after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, 75-year-old Youa Som checked in for an appointment at M Health Fairview Clinic – Bethesda in order to better protect herself against the disease with a vaccine.

“This disease is very serious,” Som said through an interpreter. “This shot will protect me and will help me even if I get sick.”

Som, who came to the clinic with her sister and her niece, was one of 230 people who received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine during a six-hour vaccination event on Saturday, Feb. 20. For decades, the clinic has served immigrants and refugees in Frogtown, one of St. Paul’s most diverse neighborhoods. On Saturday, nearly half of the patients who got vaccinated were non-English speaking, and 74 percent identified themselves as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC). Many were Hmong or Karen, a reflection of the local community around the clinic.

“This event is huge,” said Jennifer Ellison, who has worked as the clinic’s manager for nearly a decade. “Many of our patients are scared. They’ve seen illness. They’ve seen financial challenges over the past year as the result of the pandemic. And they know their communities are at a higher risk of dying.”

Statewide data shows that minority and underserved communities in Minnesota have experienced greater rates of illness, hospitalization, and death since the pandemic began. National data suggests Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and disabled people have had less access to vaccines as they are distributed nationwide.