Caring Foundation, THD Work To Break Language Barrier To Vaccinate All Tulsans

The Tulsa Health Department is working to get vaccines to different Tulsa communities where English could be a second language.

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Caring Foundation partnered with the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations to get 122 people vaccinated at a clinic at St. Thomas Moore.

Tulsa Health Department said scheduling a vaccine on the portal can be intimidating for those who aren't comfortable speaking English. That’s why they’re working with community organizations to help reach different communities.

"It's very exciting to see that finally the Hispanic community is being vaccinated just like the rest of the community here in Tulsa,” said Hector Torres.

Torres said today was a great day for his family and for the Hispanic community. Torres said he found out about the clinic through his church and now 122 members of his community are vaccinated. 

"The Hispanic community may have felt a bit neglected but because of this chance with St. Thomas Moore, it gives them hope,” said Torres.

The Tulsa Health Department has translated a lot of the written forms and the portal is now available in Spanish, but Oklahoma Caring Van Specialist Ruth Toledo said it's still easier to go to them.

“It’s just that barrier still lies with the anxiety of getting on a website and not being able to sign up or doing it wrong and not understanding where to go and missing an appointment,” said Toledo.

Northeastern State University Student Cinthia Escovedo said she tried to sign up on the portal and couldn't find an appointment.

Escovedo believes having it at St. Thomas Moore helps people feel more comfortable going.

"I think it’s really good that they brought it here,” said Escovedo. “I know there’s a lot of information like having the papers in Spanish but it's not directly getting to the crowd."

Coalition of Hispanic Organizations President Vicente Ruiz said he hopes the community works together to have more clinics like this in the future.

"It's not just Hispanics, or blacks or whites; it’s altogether,” said Ruiz. “I believe if we get vaccines, we can control this virus a lot faster.”

If you are in the Burmese, Latin-X or Hispanic communities of Tulsa and need help signing up, you can contact the Tulsa Health Department.

More information regarding vaccine availability in Tulsa County can be found at the Tulsa Health Department website here.

COVID-19 information along with all other content on its website is accessible in eight languages by using the built-in Google translate tool that can be used in any browser or device.

For information regarding the Oklahoma COVID-19 Vaccine Plan, including the priority population framework for Oklahoma, please visit this website here.