The devastating effects of COVID-19 on Black communities, Latino communities and other communities of color are manifested in disproportionately high case rates, hospitalizations and deaths. Now that COVID-19 vaccines are being administered, addressing individuals’ concerns about getting vaccinated is a public health responsibility. Specifically, for communities of color, health care providers must affirm the historical trauma that has fueled high levels of doubt in the vaccine and address questions, mistrust, and fears in a culturally-appropriate way.

The AHA is participating in a broad national effort to join and expand existing coalitions to disseminate and amplify accurate, accessible, evidence-based information to communities most impacted by COVID-19. We have created a new site, where we will curate and highlight valuable resources. Our new website is intended to house all of AHA’s resources, including social media messaging, collaboration strategies, and educational resources, to help hospital and health systems and others communicate more effectively about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccination to communities of color. NALHE members are invited to access information and available resources.

American Hospital Association (AHA) Vaccinations for Communities of Color

An Emerging Crisis
On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization learned about a number of cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan City, in the Hubei Province of China. On January 7, Chinese authorities identified the cause as a novel (new) coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a member of the coronavirus family that had never been encountered before.

Common human coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold, with symptoms that last only a short time. However, two other human coronaviruses, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, have been known to cause severe symptoms and even death.

The spread of COVID-19 began as an outbreak, upgraded to an epidemic and now a pandemic, making it a worldwide phenomenon with a number cases, deaths and affected countries continuing to climb. Pandemics happen when a new virus emerges to infect people and can spread between people
sustainably and pose a serious public health threat. Because there is little to no pre-existing immunity against the new virus, it spreads worldwide. The United States nationally is in the acceleration phase of the pandemic. The duration and severity of each pandemic phase can vary depending on the
characteristics of the virus and the public health response.

At the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE), we aim to equip Latino and Latina leaders to be the voice that uplifts communities and promotes equitable health care for all. NALHE is committed to providing our membership with curated resources to support them as we all work together to slow the spread of COVID-19. Together we can ensure we are informed so we may lead and serve our patients and communities during times of uncertainty.

NALHE Adelante!

"Leaders Paving the Way"

Rolando Gomez
NAHLE President & Board Chair

Laura Castellanos
NAHLE Chair, Care
Transformation Committee

Isabell Pacheco
NAHLE Chair, Leadership
Incubator Committee

Insight of Board Members

Navigating COVID-19: Military Perspectives on Managing a Crisis

Manuel H. Beltran, MHA, MBA, PMP, FACHE
Board Member, NALHE Executive Assistant/Flag Aide Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff
Manuel “Manny” Beltran is an award winning healthcare administrator and currently serves as an
executive officer within the Military Health System in Washington, D.C.

10 Tips for Managing Virtual Teams

Isabell Pacheco
Board Member, NALHE Senior Vice President of Operations Nuvem
Isabell is an authentic leader with over 20 years of experience in operational and strategic healthcare management. Isabell currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations at Nuvem, where she oversees drug management technology services and audit and compliance divisions.

Recent News on COVID-19

- U.K. coronavirus variant is now the dominant strain in the U.S., CDC says (April 7, 2021)
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/uk-coronavirus-variant-now-dominant-strain-us-rcna606?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm

- Covid-19’s devastating toll on black and Latino Americans, in one chart, VOX (April 17, 2020)
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/17/21225610/us-coronavirus-death-rates-blacks-latinos-whites

- U.S. Must Avoid Building Racial Bias Into COVID-19 Emergency Guidance, NPR. (April 21, 2020)
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/21/838763690/opinion-u-s-must-avoid-building-racial-bias-into-covid-19-emergency-guidance

- Detainees in U.S. Immigration Jails Living in Fear as Coronavirus Spreads, The Guardian. (March 28, 2020)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/29/detainees-coronavirus-us-immigration-ice

- A poll finds African Americans and Latinos are more worried about the coronavirus; a public health expert explains why, The Washington Post. (March 27, 2020)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/27/poll-finds-african-americans-latinos-more-worried-about- covid-19-doctor-explains-why/

- Undocumented U.S. Immigrants and COVID-19, The New England Journal of Medicine. (March 27, 2020)
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2005953

- Hispanics more likely than Americans overall to see coronavirus as a major threat to health and finances, Pew Research Center. (March 24, 2020)
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/24/hispanics-more-likely-than-americans-overall-to-see-coronavirus-as-a-major-threat-to-health-and-finances/

- ‘We’re Petrified’: Immigrants Afraid to Seek Medical Care for Coronavirus, The New York Times. (March 18, 2020)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/coronavirus-immigrants.html

Calendar of Events

- Check the NALHE Calendar for upcoming events and information
View Calendar

COVID-19 Resources

- Colorado School of Public Health’s Population Health and Mental Wellbeing: Resources for Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
https://www.populationmentalhealth.org/covid-19-resources

- Inmigrante Informado: Recursos para la comunidad inmigrante durante el Coronavirus
https://www.inmigranteinformado.com/guides/coronavirus/

- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
https://lulac.org/covid19/

- Mental Health Colorado: Response to COVID-19
https://www.mentalhealthcolorado.org/response-to-covid-19/

- National Alliance for Hispanic Health
https://www.healthyamericas.org/

- Unidos US
https://www.unidosus.org/issues/health/articles/coronavirus-eng

- California Department of Public Health
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCoV2019_Spanish.aspx

- California-Mexico Studies Center resources for undocumented
https://www.california-mexicocenter.org/nationwide-resources-for-undocumented-immigrants-in-time-of- covid-19/

- Navigating Your Career Through COVID-19 Crisis & Beyond
https://edcnavigator.org/navigation-your-career-through-covid19/

STOP the Spread!

SYMPTOMS AND TESTING
Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure (based on the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses).

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of Breath

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:

Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

Global Cases

View Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6