Austin-Travis County seeking Latinx community feedback on COVID-19 health equity action plan

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin-Travis County Hispanic/Latinx community has been disproportionately and inequitably burdened by COVID-19, says the city of Austin.

Austin Public Health data from July 7 shows that 52 percent of confirmed cases and 41 percent of deaths in Travis County are self-identified as Hispanic. Additionally, the Hispanic/Latinx community comprises 59.8 percent of hospitalizations in the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

APH, in partnership with the City of Austin’s Equity Office, the University of Texas Dell Medical School, and CommUnityCare, have developed a draft plan for comments from the public. This plan will be a working document to address issues impacting the Hispanic/Latinx community.

The city says the plan encompasses a broad set of strategies that build on the foundation outlined in the Austin-Travis County COVID-19 Outreach Strategy released in June and developed by APH with input from local Latinx community members.

The plan recommends a focus on four strategic areas:

Outreach, Prevention, and Communication
Testing and Contact Tracing
Access to Quality Clinical Resources
Economic and Employment Support

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP FOR YOUR MOBILE DEVICE

Community members are encouraged to learn more, review each strategy, and provide feedback through a 10-minute survey by July 15. The strike team is also directly reaching organizations that work heavily with the Hispanic/Latinx community to get their input and learn more about ongoing efforts.

For COVID-19 information and updates, click here.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFO ON THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

FOX 7 Austin is working to keep you up to date with coronavirus, with both local and national developments. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news from around the country at coronavirusnow.com.