Amidst the monkeypox virus outbreak occurring nationwide, the Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) has announced that is has been successful in its outreach efforts to the African American community.
The African American community has been one of the most heavily impacted communities amidst the outbreak. In Fulton County alone, approximately 79% of residents who have had monkeypox were African American, according to FCBOH.
To help stop the spread in the African American community—as well as other minority communities—the FCBOH has set up weekly monkeypox vaccination clinics every Friday in partnership with community-based organizations serving people of color, posted QR codes with links to vaccine slots at bars frequented by Black and Brown communities, as well as expanding its clinic hours to include evenings and some weekends, according to the FCBOH.
The FCBOH says that around 56% of residents vaccinated against monkeypox in the County have been African American. In addition, approximately 69% of County residents who have been vaccinated were people of color.
The Board of Health also says that it plans on continuing its concerted outreach efforts to this community through the upcoming Atlanta Black Pride weekend and beyond.
“Communities of color have been hit particularly hard by monkeypox,” says Dr. Lynn Paxton, Fulton County District Health Director. “So, efforts targeting health equity have been especially crucial for the Board of Health.”
For Atlanta Black Pride, the FCBOH says it is promoting vaccine accessibility in collaboration with Black Pride promoters and organizers.
As well, the FCBOH will also be adding evening vaccination hours, collaborating with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to set up monkeypox “pop-up” vaccination clinics, as well as communicating with event promoters to reach attendees of the event.
The Board of Health says that it plans to set up an additional vaccination clinic for Atlanta Black Pride. The clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. It will be located at the Neighborhood Union Health Center.
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