Executive Summary

Impacts of COVID-19 on the Latino Population

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a national lockdown in the United States that significantly disrupted social and economic activities for over a year. In Minnesota, the pandemic resulted in the loss of 207,000 jobs in its first year, increased housing insecurity, and forced parents to juggle work with homeschooling. Frontline service workers and health professionals faced heightened risks by continuing to work. The pandemic also exacerbated systemic inequities, affecting the well-being and quality of life for many, particularly the Latino population. Latinos faced unique challenges due to:

• Lack of timely information in Spanish.
• Employment in high-risk jobs, such as the food service industry.
• Lack of health insurance.
• Living in multi-family homes with limited quarantine options.
• Fear of interacting with health and government systems due to legal status.

According to Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) data, Latino Minnesotans had higher COVID-19 positivity rates, hospitalization rates, and age-adjusted death incidences than other racial/ethnic groups in the state.

HACER as a COVID-19 Community Coordinator

Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER), a Minnesota-based nonprofit, was funded as a COVID-19 Community Coordinator (CCC) through MDH to connect Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color (BIPOC) to testing, vaccinations, and additional resources. HACER hired hotline specialists to connect Latino Minnesotans to essential services and public health coordinators for outreach activities. These efforts included bilingual social media campaigns and collaboration with community partners to reach Latino communities, especially in Greater Minnesota. HACER also hired a vaccine coordinator to organize and host vaccine events in partnership with other community organizations.

HACER played a crucial role in disseminating information about COVID-19 services and translating key information from the Mionnesota Governor, MDH, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…