Leader Blasts Hogan's Vaccine Equity Plan, Demands Better Rollout

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — One Prince George's County lawmaker thinks Gov. Larry Hogan's new vaccine equity plan isn't enough. Though Hogan on Thursday laid out a strategy to reach underserved communities, U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown thinks the governor needs to do more for people of color.

"Communities of color need to see real action from Governor Hogan," Brown said in a press release. "While the Hogan administration has highly touted this equity plan, it still does not implement many of the changes demanded by localities serving Black, Latino, low-income and other underserved populations in our state."

Hogan's plan expands the reach of the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force. This committee includes an equity liaison from each of the state's 24 jurisdictions. Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead of the Maryland National Guard leads the bunch.

Before the governor unveiled the group's new responsibilities on Thursday, the team identified key populations in need of outreach. Now, the task force will work with vaccine providers and community leaders to open immunization clinics in hard-to-reach communities.

"Vulnerable, underserved and hard-to-reach communities face both structural and informational barriers to vaccine access," Birckhead said at a press conference announcing the expanded equity initiative. "Growing disparities in these communities make it necessary to be intentional and concrete in steps that we're going to take to remove these barriers."

Vaccination Rates

Brown pointed to disproportionate immunization rates across Maryland. Black Marylanders have gotten 16 percent of the state's shots, but they make up 31 percent of the population.

The inoculation rates for Native American, Pacific Islander and Asian Marylanders are a smidge below their statewide populations. Only white Marylanders are vaccinated more than their true population, granted it is by three percentage points.

The state does not list immunization data for Latino Marylanders. Brown said they have gotten about 4 percent of the doses, but they make up 11 percent of Maryland's population.

It's worth noting that about 16 percent of the state's shots fall into the other or unknown race categories. That means the true percentages could be slightly off.

"The numbers speak for themselves," Brown said in the release. "The current approach isn’t working."

Hogan's Efforts

Hogan has upped his focus on Prince George's County, which has the lowest vaccination rate in Maryland. In recent months Hogan has:

• Created an immunization sign-up for Prince Georgians that runs through text messages
• Deployed a sound truck to broadcast inoculation information as it drove through the county
• Organized vaccine confidence events throughout Prince George's
• Unveiled a statewide mass immunization site at Six Flags
• Reserved appointments at Six Flags for Prince Georgians, though it is open to the whole state
• Given the county $17 million to bolster its inoculation efforts
• Deployed National Guard soldiers to assist vaccinations at Cheverly Health Center
• Assigned 50 volunteers from the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps to the county
• Toured a pharmacy immunization clinic in District Heights
• Launched public health campaigns across Prince George's

"We are working hard to promote vaccine confidence and ensure equitable access while we await more doses from the federal government," the governor said in a January statement.

Brown's Proposals

This still isn't enough for Brown. The congressperson has frequently complained about Maryland's decentralized immunization sign-up.

With dozens of providers across the state, residents often have to surf several websites for an appointment. Brown has condemned this inconvenience and called for a centralized registration portal for every inoculation site in the state.

"The disorganized and decentralized process is a barrier for vaccine equity and continues to put vulnerable Marylanders at a default disadvantage," Brown said.

The representative for Maryland's 4th Congressional District also asked Hogan to save even more appointments for Prince Georgians at the state-operated Six Flags mass immunization site.

Brown additionally wants jurisdictions with the worst outbreaks, like Prince George's County, to get extra doses of the inoculation. As it stands, Maryland sends every county a number of shots that's relatively proportionate to its population.

"Local leaders have consistently stressed the need for the state to address these health disparities," Brown concluded. "We cannot afford to wait, we communities of color need to see immediate action."

To see when you'll be eligible for the inoculation, read Patch's explainer. Check out our how-to guide to learn how to sign up for the shot. Catch up on the latest coronavirus infection and vaccination metrics in Prince George's County by heading to our latest numbers update.

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Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.