Recognizing that the battle against COVID is far from over, The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, and Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers will continue offering free COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.
Services will now be offered through appointment from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at two Betty Jean Kerr centers: 11642 West Florissant Avenue in Florissant, and 5701 Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis.
Despite the drops in new infections, African American communities still have a higher rate of infections and continued vigilance, along with testing and vaccinations are necessary to protect vulnerable communities.
“COVID-19 is still very much present in our community, especially the African-American community,” said James Clark, Urban League Division of Public Safety and Community Response vice president.
“We cannot let up and we are proud to continue our vaccination and testing efforts in the heart of the community with a trusted community partner like People’s Health Centers.”
According to Clark, his division has provided more than 200,000 vaccinations over the course of the pandemic and helped St. Louis expand its mobile testing operations during the most recent COVID-19 surge.
In addition to vaccines, the Division has distributed more than 4 million masks in the community and to various organizations including schools, barber and beauty salons, and Metro.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact Black and brown communities in St. Louis, People’s is excited to work with the Urban League to bring much needed COVID-19 outreach, education and vaccinations to these vulnerable communities,” said Dwayne Butler, Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers CEO.
“It is too early to drop our guard against this clear threat.”
For additional information and to schedule an appointment call 314-484-5467.
In addition, the Urban League will be adding 20 Community Health Navigators as partners in the agency’s fight against the pandemic.
“The pandemic may be easing but the effects are still being felt in the African-American community which was disproportionately impacted,” said Clark.
“We must get shots in arms and help families gain access to other resources available to them through the Urban League.”
The health navigators are funded through a partnership between the National Urban League and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to help Urban League affiliates in six cities build vaccine confidence and bolster COVID-19 vaccination.
“One lesson we’ve learned through the COVID-19 pandemic is that trusted voices within communities, such as our affiliate presidents and CEOs, are the best way to overcome vaccine hesitancy, combat misinformation, and connect people with health care providers,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said in a release.
“With the support of the HRSA, our affiliates can expand their reach by hiring a local Community Health Navigator workforce to help keep our communities informed, safe and healthy.”
The National Urban League was awarded $11.125 million to recruit, hire, train, and support community health navigators in St. Louis, Knoxville, Tennessee, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Houston, and the state of Mississippi.
On Monday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. for both 2020 and 2021.
According to a CDC report, in 2020, over 350,000 fatalities were directly due to the coronavirus, increasing to over 415,000 last year. When including deaths for which COVID was a contributing factor but not the direct cause, the 2021 total increases to over 460,000.
COVID deaths were most common among elderly men. Looking at race and ethnicity, death rates were higher among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black or African American individuals.
The overall age adjusted death rate increased by 0.7% from 2020 to 2021, with heart disease and cancer remaining the top two causes, at 693,000 and 605,000 deaths, respectively, in 2021.
An Indiana University Observatory on Social Media study also confirmed previous results that linked several factors to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Researchers said hesitancy rates in the U.S. highest among three groups: African Americans, women, and conservatives.
