A recently released report from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) details the findings of a special study conducted in Northwest Arkansas from June 13th – July 4th, 2020. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) invited the CDC to come and help shed light on problems making the COVID-19 outbreak much worse among ri-Majel and Hispanic/Latinx community members. The CDC team of public health experts studied medical and public health numbers to look for patterns in when and where outbreaks of COVID-19 are taking place. The team also conducted focus groups with community members to better understand local perspectives that may improve community outreach efforts going forward.

The report agrees with prior studies that show Hispanic/Latinx and ri-Majel families make up a disproportionate amount of COVID cases. Based on these numbers, scientists estimate that ri-Majel are more than 10 times as likely to get sick with COVID and 20 times more likely to die of the disease. The CDC also reports that that many ri-Majel community leaders are concerned that the full extent of the outbreak is not getting accurately recorded in public health data. This could mean that the actual outbreak is much worse than even these tragic numbers suggest.

The CDC reports that there is strong evidence that industrial and poultry processing workplaces are a main source of outbreaks both from worker to worker inside of plants as well as from workers to family members in the community. Without appropriate protections in the workplace, paid sick leave, or other forms of support, many continue to come to work even when they are sick. Others are too afraid to take time off or simply cannot afford to lose their jobs at this time. In other workplaces, like local stores, the CDC reports finding that shopkeepers are nervous about customers who come in without masks and are too afraid to try and enforce this rule on their own.

Focus groups with ri-Majel found other widespread problems in the local healthcare system that contribute to the epidemic. Many ri-Majel may stay away from hospitals because they cannot afford care or cannot get insurance coverage. Discrimination by non-Marshallese providers is another deterrent. And the pain of being separated from family members during isolation if they test positive – a standard way hospitals treat COVID patients – worries others. The CDC also concludes that there are not enough ri-Majel healthcare workers and translators available to appropriately respond to the pandemic.

These findings underscore the on-going need for greater support at the state and federal levels in the US to provide basic healthcare access for ri-Majel living here. The report has several recommendations for local public health authorities that includes increasing efforts to test for COVID-19 among ri-Majel and increasing the numbers of Marshallese speakers in the healthcare system. The CDC also recommends focusing on the importance for ri-Majel to practice “social distancing” and wearing masks outside of their homes. These practices are in line with many ri-Majel values as a way to care for family and kin.

CDC experts emphasize that spreading COVID is not any single person or family’s fault. Until government-led efforts can keep us safe with food on the table without risking our lives in the poultry plant, we all share the responsibility of looking out for one another to get through this crisis. Read the full report (in English) here.