Health Access California

We’ve heard those stories of people in LA driving to Compton or to another part where there are other sites.. Those areas more heavily resourced with health care infrastructure and workers, by definition got more of the vaccine, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California.

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Anthony Wright, executive director of the advocacy group Health Access, points to the barriers some marginalized groups face in getting access to vaccination sites: technology, transportation and time. People seeking vaccinations often need access to the Internet along with a computer or smartphone, a way to get to a clinic, and the time to spend hours on the phone or online seeking an appointment. Many sign-up sites only offer English. Some lower-income groups lack access to the informal whisper networks that share tips on last-minute vaccine availability.

Anthony Wright, executive director of consumer advocacy coalition Health Access, said the place-based allocation could be one way the state can distribute vaccines more equitably even if it decides to shift to age-based distribution. Still, distributing vaccines equitably goes far beyond who or where to prioritize, he said. California needs to address several barriers, from people not having a car to drive to a vaccine site to people not having technology to access the online appointment system, he said. If we want this to be as efficient and equitable rollout, equity lives in the last miles of logistics as much as prioritization of population, he said.

This vaccine distribution is being jerry-rigged on a famously fragmented health system and underfunded public health infrastructure, which produces inconsistencies county by county and provider by provider but also problems with getting timely data to see how California as a whole is doing, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California and a member of the state’s vaccine advisory committee. This data is critical to know not just how efficient but equitable and effective California’s efforts have been, and where we need to close gaps.