Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic indicates that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color or BIPOC communities nationwide have experienced higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death compared to white populations. Immigrant and queer communities also continue to be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In New Mexico, the Latinx and Native communities were amongst the worst affected, having the highest rates of infection, hospitalization, and death in the state.
PIRE is collaborating with three research centers at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Science Center on the “Wide Engagement for Accessing COVID-19 Vaccine Equity (WEAVE NM)” research study. The WEAVE NM research project is led by UNM’s Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement Center (TREE Center), Center for Participatory Research (CPR), and the Center for Native American Health (CNAH) and is funded by a Community Engagement Alliance (NIH CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities grant from the National Institutes of Health. The goal is to examine the systematic, social, and cultural factors that have led to inequities in COVID-19 vaccination and clinical trial participation by listening to the people who are living these disparities firsthand. To support the project, the WEAVE NM team draws on the experience of a Communities of Practice Network of over 200 trusted partners across the state.
The community based participatory research approach of WEAVE NM features three main components: 1) a community survey, 2) digital storytelling with Latinx, Native American, and African American communities and people experiencing homelessness in New Mexico, and 3) catalyst films with New Mexico state policymakers and healthcare providers.
As a central member of the WEAVE NM Core Consortium, PIRE provides expertise in data collection and analysis in partnership with vulnerable communities and technical assistance for digital storytelling workshops across the state, as well as contributes to discussions at the local and national level about inclusive participation in research, particularly for racial, sexual, and gender minority populations.
To learn more about WEAVE NM and to view digital stories and catalyst films, visit weavenm.org.
