When COVID-19 hit, people of color got slammed. It was the perfect storm — a virus no one had seen before attacking forgotten communities with drastically higher rates of chronic disease and little to no access to health care.
That’s why GCC created the Color of Health initiative, recruiting 17 Cleveland East Side congregations to serve as sites for free COVID testing. And our Dollars 4 Doses program provided 3,880 vaccines to 1% of Cleveland residents who otherwise would’ve gone unvaccinated.
COVID might be in the rearview mirror, but the fight for health equity is far from over. The pandemic exposed the deep inequities and injustices of a profit-driven healthcare system that does not work for everyone.
We’re now shifting our focus and working with local providers to connect communities of color with primary and preventative care. The goal is greater access to health care and a healthier, happier, brighter future for all of us.