When the COVID-19 vaccine became widely available in 2021, locating an appointment and finding transportation made access difficult in some communities. Distrust, however, was the bigger hurdle to vaccine adoption. It was urgently important that we find ways to remove these barriers to protect people from the virus and support communities.
A great haircut and lively conversation are what typically draw people to Gee’s Clippers, a local barbershop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Gee’s convenient location and strong ties within Milwaukee’s Black communities made it possible for the barbershop’s owner, Gaulien “Gee” Smith, to partner with Anthem to host a wellness clinic within his barbershop.
“The barbershop has more responsibility in the community than to make the community look good,” Gee says. “We’re able to communicate things to our clients that they wouldn’t even talk to their doctors about.”
For much of 2021, the Gee’s and Anthem wellness clinic was a destination for many neighborhood residents to receive their COVID-19 vaccine and other health services. A combination of social drivers of health (unstable housing and limited access to high-quality care), high rates of preexisting conditions, and slow uptake of vaccination, many communities of color have been hit especially hard by COVID-19. In fact, over the course of the pandemic, Black and Hispanic/Latino adults have been about 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than white adults.* Major barriers to vaccination have included the lack of easy access and lack of trusted messengers and resources for health information. The localized, community-centric approach at Gee’s helped community members feel more comfortable about vaccinations, and the clinic continues to connect community members to various local resources, including healthcare.
Anthem associate Sherri Carrigan and Norfolk Medical Reserve Corps program coordinator Summer Atseye check in people at a vaccine clinic.
Addressing social drivers of health through local partnerships like the one with Gee’s Clippers is one of the most important ways we’re partnering to strengthen communities and increase vaccination rates. Those partnerships involve individuals making a difference at a local level. We’re proud of the Anthem associates who donated more than 90,000 hours serving their communities in 2021. Associates can add company-funded donations to their volunteer hours, giving up to $10 per hour volunteered (up to $1,000 per year) to the nonprofit of their choice.
Sherri Carrigan, an Anthem Wellness and Peer Recovery Specialist, earned her matching dollars by helping with logistics and paperwork at vaccination events run by the Virginia Department of Health. She’s grateful Anthem encourages community volunteering efforts like hers.
“Despite the unfortunate circumstances, this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Sherri says. “I’m really happy I’ve been able to give back to the community in this way.”
