Vermont has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. But in early April, the vaccination rate for BIPOC – people who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color – lagged 13% behind white Vermonters.
Now, that gap has closed by half. And it appears to be shrinking even further, thanks to clinics across the state, led and designed by leaders who are people of color, with funding and support from the Vermont Department of Health. Organizers say this is an important step forward and could be a model for how to begin to dismantle the systemic racism in our healthcare system.