If you missed the Zoom panel discussion Oct. 7 hosted by the Press Club of Southwest Florida, please take time to view this illuminating panel discussion on YouTube by clicking here.
Summary: Existing health disparities in the United States have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted by the challenges certain populations face in accessing tests and vaccines. In an unlikely and nontraditional partnership, Healthcare Network, Partners in Health, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the National Center for Farmworker Health, and others developed and supported a team of community health workers and secured resources to address roadblocks to access and care, including overcoming fear and distrust, as well as technology and transportation barriers.
Our thanks to panelists, who offered insights into why their collaborative efforts resulted in a nationally recognized model for improving health equity.
Panelists included Gerardo Reyes Chavez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers; Jude Beauchamp, MD, MMSc, with Partners in Health; Erin Birney of the National Center of Farmworker Health; and Julie Pedretti, MBA, FACHE, APR, with Healthcare Network.
Laura Greanias
Our special thanks to press club board member Laura Greanias, Florida Investigations Editor for the USA TODAY Network, who served as our moderator, and whose award-winning journalistic team published an in-depth story about the Immokalee outreach efforts.