On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker and members of his administration will give more testimony about the state's vaccine rollout at a second joint oversight hearing on Beacon Hill.
Tomorrow's hearing will focus on technology and disaster planning. But Eva Milona, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Organization or MIRA, said that she and others want to hear how the administration plans to make the rollout more equitable.
According to Milona, who also co-chairs the Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition, the most recent state data shows that white residents have received 15 times more vaccine doses than Latino residents and 14 times more than Black residents.
Milona said the coalition recognizes and appreciates the hard work the Baker administration has done so far, including securing $27.4 million in federal funds for vaccine equity. But Milona and other advocates want to see more information on these allocations so these organizations can continue their work uninterrupted.
"The administration has not provided more details — how these funds will be distributed, how the community-based organizations can get access to these resources and how these resources will be used by them," Milona said. "These community groups, many MIRA members, many other partners across the state, are working 24/7. They are the ones on the ground working in the hardest hit population. They are the ones with the trust of the community. We also need to make sure they have access to these resources [and] that they have the information."
Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.
