BHM Winter 2024 Summit Rewind: Vaccines: A Discussion About Solutions for Staying Healthy

Presented by:

Dr. Lynn Paxton, Kendal K. Whitlock, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Lee Woodall,

Nicole Adams (Moderator)

Sponsored by Merck

Misinformation about vaccines has allowed new variants of new viruses and a host of nearly eradicated diseases to thrive in a culture of ignorance and fear.

Dr. Darlene Ruffin-Alexander, Dr. Lynn Paxton, an international scholar who has served as a captain of the commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, Kendal K. Whitlock MPH, Head of Digital Optimization, RWE Clinical Trials at Walgreens, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and NFL legend and community leader Lee Woodall. The panelists shared their experience and expertise with moderator Nicole Adams, Senior Engagement Manager at Black Health Matters.

Why is there mistrust of vaccines in the Black Community?

Dr. Paxton kicked off the conversation by acknowledging the gaps faced by Black patients seeking care. “I’ve actually been aware. Obviously, all of us have, for years, about all of the discrepancies and inequity we have here in the United States,” she said. “There’s a huge discrepancy in the care that they receive.”

The doctor noted that COVID-19 brought these situations to the forefront of the public discourse. Adding that the Black community is not exclusive in their reluctance to vaccinate. “All people who are hesitant to take a vaccine do not all come from the same background,” she said.

The doctor went on to dispel the belief that there was just one reason causing people to mistrust vaccines.

“Vaccine hesitancy does not have one single root cause. It is not a monolithic thing,” she explained.

She emphasized the changes that have transformed vaccine development and that information about these measures is available to the public. “There have been institutional changes made,” she said.

How has misinformation about vaccines impacted the Black community?

Woodall, who became a religious leader following his athletic career, quoted the Bible verse that inspired him to distribute accurate vaccine information to his congregation and community. The increased mortality rate of Black people impacted by COVID-19 swayed him. “With the lack of knowledge, all people will perish,” he said. The leader advised the audience to learn about their health and the functions of their body’s systems so that they could take in the information presented to them.

“Are you giving yourself a chance to know you, meaning to know your body, to know what your heart does to know, what your lungs do to know how the blood flows through your body?” he asked.

Whitlock commented on the importance of obtaining crucial information from care providers outside of check-ups. “Sometimes things happen between that and the annual visit; we have questions and curiosities,” she said.

Who is responsible for building trust between the medical and Black communities?

The widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated how a public health crisis can be approached efficiently with the help of existing infrastructure. “Access is an issue regarding our health care and clinical trial participation,” said Whitlock. “A retail pharmacy might be able to change this paradigm of people who are underrepresented or unsupported in their health care needs.”

Action Steps You Can Take

The session provided valuable and practical solutions for managing your health by being proactive through appropriate vaccines.

• Educate yourself about how the systems in your body work.
• Arm yourself with research about the specific vaccines available to you for your health concerns and ask your doctor about them.
•  Find out what options are available in your neighborhood to seek care between your appointments.