© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Vaccine Outreach To Kansas City Latinx Community Falls Short

Mariana Ramirez works with the WyCo Health Equity Task Force and helps guide the county's COVID outreach and education to the Latino community.
Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3
Mariana Ramirez is the director of JUNTOS Center For Advancing Latino Health in Kansas City, KS, which is making an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccine outreach to the Latinx community.

Latinx people are being vaccinated at a far lesser rate than the rest of the population in Kansas and Missouri.

The language barrier and distrust in the government are just two of the issues that have caused the latinx population to get vaccinated less than other demographics. Ten percent of Missourians have been vaccinated for the novel coronavirus. That's compared to just two percent of the state's Latinx population. Our guests break down why this is the case - and the kind of outreach needed on both sides of the state line to stop this trend.

Stay Connected
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I construct daily conversations that give our listeners context to the issues of our time. I strive to provide a platform that holds those in power accountable, while also spotlighting the voices of Kansas City’s creatives and visionaries that may otherwise go unheard. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.