1. EPI Report
2. Health Equity – Confluence Health
3. Vaccine Equity – Skagit Regional Health
4. Appointments for Patients Identified Through the EMR and Enforcement Concerns
5. Additional Q&A and Updates
We will have discussion and Q&A throughout the call. Use the “raise hand” function if you have a question or
comment.
Agenda
Washington State Department of Health is committed to providing customers with forms
and publications in appropriate alternate formats. Requests can be made by calling
800-525-0127 or by email at [email protected]. TTY users dial 711.
Respecting Existing Community and Equity Efforts
• Confluence Health:
Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council (HEDI)
• Physician champions – Dr. Mabel Bodell and Dr. Bindu Nayak
• CAFÉ (Community for the Advancement of Family Education)
• Grassroots healthcare settings
• Spanish language media
• Parque Padrinos
• Wenatchee Valley College
• Community Service Coalition
• And many others!
Intentionality Matters
• Build trust
• Listen to the community impacted and make decisions
based on their feedback
• Community should be at the table
• Leverage respected community influencers
• Obtaining funding honors this work
• Track metrics, both subjective and objective
• Remove barriers
All Doors are the Right Doors
• Vaccine work is community work
• If another setting works, patients are referred there
• Mass Vaccination sites and Public Health
Partnerships
• Local pharmacies
COVID Vaccine and EquityMarch 16th 2021 WSHA Clinical Support Call
Dr. Josh Griggs, MD, MHA – Chief Quality Officer
Recognizing Need for Equity
• Skagit Regional Health has been receiving and offering vaccines since December 2020.
• Realized that our vaccines were not reaching vulnerable and non-English speaking members of the Skagit and Snohomish communities.
• Established COVID & Equity workgroup to focus on initiatives to provide equitable distribution of our vaccine inventory.
Guiding Principles
• Serve our local communities in Skagit and Snohomish counties.
• Use a targeted universalism approach in outreach efforts to vulnerable populations
and BIPOC members of the community.
• Begin with equality, but strive for equity.
• Include both SRH patients as well as members of the community.
• Target a weekly goal of 30% of all vaccines SRH receives to be given to vulnerable
and/or BIPOC members of the community.
• Use and embody IHI and HRO principals in our outreach strategy approach.
• Target as many BIPOC and/or vulnerable patients as possible using a sustainable
outreach approach.
Outreach Strategy
Activity 1: Event at Sunrise
Partner with local church to host specific event for congregation.
Activity 2: SRH Patients
Outreach to SRH patients who are vaccine eligible, and a member of a vulnerable population and/or identify as BIPOC.
Activity 3: Waitlist
Outreach to people on the Vaccine Waitlist who meet "zip code criteria".
Activity 4: Community Education
Educational campaign to address vaccine hesitancy. Create ongoing support for non-English speaking patients within the existing vaccine clinics.
Slicing and Dicing our Data
• Patients on MyChart (patient portal)
• >65 years old
• > 30 BMI
• Zip Code 98273, 98233, 98241
• On a Chronic Disease Registry
Ongoing Efforts
• March 5th: Invites for vaccines sent to all patients 65 and older in the top three zip codes.
• March 10th: Invites for vaccines sent to all patients on MyChart who are non-white and 65 and older.
• This week: all patient 65 and older in top 8 zip codes and not enrolled in MyChart
• Translation of all vaccine documents into Spanish.
• Ensuring there is telephone scheduling option for patients.
Scheduling: Patients identified in EMR v. Public Slots
Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Reflect large segments of the state’s population as hospitals provide a
broad spectrum of care
EMRs reflect visits to the ED, specialty, and primary care clinics
EMRs are a powerful tool to identify high-risk eligible patients
Can help with promotion of equity
Hospitals are also sensitive to VIP access concerns
DOH Guidance regarding an acceptable scheduling approach:
EMR may be used to identify/schedule up to 80 percent of available slots
A minimum 20 percent of slots must be opened to the general public
DOH Guidance Re Minimum Access Standards• Providers instructed to assess accessibility for limited English proficiency and people with disabilities by April
2, 2021 and work on areas that need improvement.
• Complaint based enforcement? “We will reach out to proactively support overcoming access barriers if we
hear of them by community members.”
• Review the Language Access Planning Tool and implement strategies that are relevant to your vaccination
clinic or organization.
• Access for people with disabilities: Checklist to Ensure that Vaccine Sites are Accessible to People with
Disabilities and implement strategies that are relevant to your vaccination clinic or organization
• Collect patient race, ethnicity, and language data: o Self-report - patients do not have to provide this information
o Note: Language data has not previously been requested by DOH
“We ask you to confirm that [vaccine provider name] has not instituted any policies or procedures which granted access to COVID-19 vaccines to individuals who were not eligible for such vaccines pursuant to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Washington State Department of Health. Please send your response . . . within fourteen (14) days of your receipt of this letter.”