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Understanding Diverse Communities and Supporting Equitable and Informed Vaccination Decision-Making
With COVID-19 raging throughout the United States, it is vitally important that researchers, government officials and pharmaceutical companies know how COVID-19 is impacting different communities disproportionately. Dr. Terris King is serving as one of six national leaders facilitating a Robert Wood Johnson funded intervention being run by Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health.
As one of two national leaders representing African Americans (the other four focusing on Latinx and Indigenous populations) we are focused on providing timely analysis to inform the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in different communities. I am proud to be a part of a process that is not designed to persuade but to understand the decision-making process of individuals.
Johns Hopkins has partnered with representatives of vulnerable communities to better understand decision-making, and considerations in how to best serve them during this pandemic.
The public engagement process begins in December and ends in the Spring 2021, when the vaccine is scheduled to arrive. Continued progress toward finalizing our recommendations will be forthcoming in the months ahead.
Influenza Immunization
A Baltimore pastor, preaching about vaccines to the Black community, emphasizes personal agency
STAT caught up with Baltimore pastor Terris King to talk about what it means to lead by example when it comes to combating vaccine skepticism in the Black community.
A Baltimore pastor, preaching about vaccines to the Black community, emphasizes personal agency
| The following is a press release dated September 25, 2020, about an initiative where we have partnered with the Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality organization. |
‘Call for Community-Driven Equity in Flu Vaccination’ to Address Disparities in Underserved Communities amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Washington, DC: National Minority Quality Forum Action Panel Says It Has Never Been More Important to Increase Flu Vaccination in Communities of Color WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 25, 2020) —Today, the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SHC) announced a major effort to promote flu vaccination in communities of color—as an SHC-convened panel of experts, clinicians, and stakeholders called for even stronger efforts to promote flu vaccination, as racial and ethnic disparities persist in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic with its disproportionate impact on communities of color. “It has never been more important to get a flu vaccine, so as to minimize respiratory illness and its impact on patients’ health as well as the healthcare system,” said UAMS College of Medicine’s Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., M.D., M.A.C.P., F.A.A.P., who is also the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Chair at US Department of Health and Human Services, and Chair of the Communications and Advocacy Subgroup of DRIVE Advisory Group. Chair of the advisory group, Dr. Gregory A. Poland, M.D., M.A.C.P., F.I.D.S.A., F.R.C.P.—who is Distinguished Investigator of the Mayo Clinic, Director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group and Editor-in-Chief at “VACCINE”—agrees. “I believe it is critical for all of us to work together, basing our efforts on evidence-based strategies and innovative approaches, in partnership with members of communities of color to protect everyone from the flu in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he noted. SHC has worked to promote flu vaccination around the country, training and empowering practices to take steps to promote vaccination to their patients. Dr. Laura Lee Hall, SHC’s President, said that “healthcare practices have been able to increase vaccination rates 40% or more by training and empowering clinic nurses and medical assistants and other staff to proactively promote flu vaccines.” Despite effective tools for increasing flu vaccination, disparities persist and have even increased in certain settings. Dr. Hall noted that: “People of color are much less likely to receive a flu vaccination, and that gap is even increasing, including in publicly funded programs such as Medicare and in nursing homes.”This flu season presents even more intense challenges: clinics often are under greater pressure due to fewer patient visits and to keep patients and staff safe from COVID-19 exposure; the pandemic has heightened concerns about vaccine safety and access; and the larger social and political environment has increased awareness of racial injustice in many institutions. Trust is at an all-time low. “It is critical that true community engagement is achieved to encourage flu vaccination in communities of color. A trusted voice who cares about the community is essential — in helping to guide efforts to promote flu vaccination and to bring education and information to the community,” says Rev. Dr. Terris A. King, the Pastor of Liberty Grace Church of God in Baltimore, long-time health leader, and the leader of the SHC collaboration to promote flu vaccination with Baltimore and Prince George’s County religious leaders. “Our community members have suffered so much from the COVID-19 virus, I along with other religious leaders in our community are committed to promoting their health and well-being, including through flu vaccination.” Accordingly, the panel recommends a community-based, multifaceted – all hands on deck – approach to flu vaccine promotion. In addition to primary health care providers and pharmacists, SHC calls on all health care providers including specialists and community – and home healthcare providers to strongly promote and provide flu vaccines. In addition to strategies for safe delivery of flu vaccines in the office setting, larger scale (such as drive-through), mobile, and community-based provision of the vaccine, perhaps in combination with COVID-19 testing, should be implemented to increase vaccine access. Community leaders, including clergy members, elected officials, teachers and business leaders, hairdressers and barbers, health care providers and other trusted sources should engage in the effort to protect the health of their community through flu vaccination, providing input on what would best serve the community and community concerns. They in turn can educate the public about the importance of flu vaccination. SHC has developed a number of resources and projects to translate the recommendations into action, including an online toolkit for practices and communities to use in implementing flu vaccine strategies with ongoing support. “We encourage you to reach out to our team to see what you can do to promote flu vaccination in your community,” Dr. Hall noted. Gary Puckrein, Ph.D., president and CEO of NMQF, believes the best way to obtain predictable positive outcomes for patients during COVID-19 is through support of local care networks. “For decades we have known that throughout our nation’s history, people of color have experienced reduced access to health care, higher rates of chronic conditions and, ultimately, higher rates of mortality across a range of health conditions,” said Puckrein. “Now, during the pandemic, we have an urgent need to provide our underserved communities with accessible, equitable health care, including flu vaccines.” The project was supported by a grant from Sanofi Pasteur. Resources: To access our newly launched Demonstrating Real Improvement in Value and Equity (DRIVE) Toolkit click here.To access our flu and COVID-19 resources click here.To learn more about “The Importance of Promoting Influenza Immunization in Underserved Communities amidst Disparities and the COVID-19 Pandemic” click here.To learn about our collaboration with JHU on community engagement during COVID-19 click here. To learn more about SHC and its effort to promote equitable health care, including vaccination, contact shc@nmqf.org or visit our website nmqf-shc.org. ### |
Rev. Dr. Terris King, Discusses Vaccine Strategies
The Rev. Dr. Terris King was interviewed in the following article on vaccine strategies: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-talk-to-vaccine-skeptic_l_5f528ff7c5b62b3add404ac7?5jo
In this article Terris King discusses the intersection of science and scripture: https://apple.news/AxdGgcwgxQiSY3LPsX_6Ebg
Videos
As a trusted source in the African American Community, Terris is bringing critical information about COVID and vaccinations to Baltimore City and nationally. Please watch the following video interviews to learn more.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/partners/baltimore-2020.html
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/flu-shot-importance-2020/34473971
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