FAYETTEVILLE -- A $286,000 grant from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas will go to covid-19-related outreach in the Hispanic and Marshallese communities in Northwest Arkansas, according to a news release from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest.
The money will pay to hire 10 community health navigators who will do outreach in those communities, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, according to the news release. The grant is to the Northwest Arkansas Council, a nonprofit organization of leaders from the region's largest businesses, health care organizations and schools.
At least 50 residents of Benton and Washington counties have died of covid-19, according to the county coroners. Marshallese account for 24, or 48%, of the deaths despite making up roughly 3% of the population. Ten of the people who died were Hispanic, and the other 16 were white non-Hispanic.
"The navigators will provide translation and interpretation services, help with access to resources (such as food and medication) that will allow people to self-isolate, connect people to testing services for themselves and family members and provide support for contact tracing," according to the news release.
UAMS and Community Clinic will train and supervise the navigators because they have experience and relationships with the Marshallese and Spanish-speaking populations. Six navigators will be bilingual in Spanish and English, and four will be bilingual in Marshallese and English, according to the news release.
"Covid-19 has left no community untouched, but we're seeing it take an especially dramatic toll on our ethnic populations, particularly our Latinx and Pacific Islander populations in the Northwest region of our state," said Curtis Barnett, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield president and chief executive officer.
"We believe having trusted health navigators from within the community who can help overcome language barriers and address critical social needs will be key to successfully controlling the spread of covid-19 within these populations," he said.