Friday, March 29, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

UCLA medical faculty member uses dermatology practice as vaccine distribution site

A UCLA medical faculty member set up a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in the traditionally underserved and undervaccinated neighborhood of Huntington Park last Monday. Dr. Navid Ezra has recruited UCLA student volunteers to help operate the clinic. (Jason Zhu/Daily Bruin staff)

By Emmi Deckard

May 11, 2021 4:16 p.m.

This post was updated May 16 at 9:38 p.m.

A UCLA medical faculty member opened a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Huntington Park on May 3.

Dr. Navid Ezra, an adjunct clinical faculty of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, has his own private dermatology practice – the California Dermatology Institute – at several locations across California, including Huntington Park. Ezra’s office became a certified vaccine clinic earlier this year but was only able to open the clinic last week as the state prioritized vaccine distribution to mass vaccination centers over private practices, he said.

Ezra, who is also an alumnus of the School of Medicine, said he opened the clinic in hopes of providing the underserved population of Huntington Park with increased access to COVID-19 vaccines. When the pandemic hit, he wanted to increase access to care in these communities by using his office as a vaccination site, Ezra said.

Although private practices are able to become vaccination centers, many providers have been unable to obtain the vaccine and are often excluded from the vaccine rollout, according to a study conducted by the Medical Group Management Association.

Now that vaccine eligibility has increased, it should become easier for private practices to obtain the vaccine, Ezra said.

(Jason Zhu/Daily Bruin staff)
(Jason Zhu/Daily Bruin staff)

Huntington Park is a largely Hispanic community with a poverty rate nearly double the national average in 2018. The area has high overall COVID-19 case rates compared to other communities in Los Angeles County, yet holds one of the lowest vaccination rates with only 46.2% of the population having received at least one dose of the vaccine as of May 2, the most recent data made available by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Comparatively, 50.5% of Westwood residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Hispanics and Latinos make up only 18% of the U.S. population but have had one of the highest COVID-19 death rates and case rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even as COVID-19 death rates drop, Latinos in Los Angeles are still dying at higher rates than other groups.

There are currently seven vaccination clinics in Huntington Park as of April 15, serving 57,500 residents. Comparatively, there are six vaccine clinics in Westwood, which has a population of approximately 52,000.

In response to calls for more equitable vaccine distribution, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in March that 40% of vaccines in California will be set aside for vulnerable neighborhoods that are predominantly Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander.

Surveys have shown only 34% of Latino Americans mostly or completely trust the safety of the vaccine, which can be an additional barrier to vaccination.

“This venture is really … my personal beliefs of what I should be doing in medicine and how I can help people,” Ezra said.

Ezra said he is recruiting student volunteers for the clinic to give them an opportunity to deliver health care in an area that needs it.

Ada Chung, a second-year political science student, said she wanted to volunteer at the clinic because she knows how difficult it can be for some people to obtain the vaccine.

“If you don’t know what documents you need to bring … I think it can be kind of difficult … because there’s so many barriers,” Chung said.

Volunteers at the clinic will coordinate patient care and assist patients, especially if these individuals do not speak English or are elderly, ultimately aiding in vaccinating people faster, Ezra said.

Alex Foyt, a third-year biology student, said he decided to volunteer at the clinic to contribute to those fighting the pandemic.

“It just seemed like a really good opportunity to help with the pandemic in general,” Foyt said. “And then also it is in Huntington Park, which is a very underserved community … where the help was most needed.”

Volunteers are primarily tasked with checking people in and observing them after they have received the vaccine, Foyt said.

“It’s the only volunteer opportunity that I’ve had where I really feel like I’m doing something that’s going to be meaningful in the long term, building something not just for right now but you know, an accessible resource that will be around you know, after I’ve left UCLA and left the community,” Foyt said.

 

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Emmi Deckard
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts