The health care workers featured in THE CONVERSATION: Between Us, About Us share why they are speaking out about the COVID vaccines, including their hopes for the future.

Black doctors, nurses and researchers dispel misinformation and provide accessible facts about the #COVID #vaccines in this FAQ video series.

THE CONVERSATION: #BetweenUsAboutUs is produced by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues (no affiliation with Kaiser Permanente), and presented by KFF’s Greater Than COVID public information initiative in partnership with the Black Coalition Against COVID (BCAC).

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This information is shared for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at time of filming (January 14 to February 5, 2021). Always consult a health care provider for any personal health decisions.

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TRANSCRIPT:

What I don't want to happen two and three years from now is for Black people that have been left behind. And for people to be able to use some excuse where “Oh, Black people said they didn't want the vaccine anyway. So that's why we didn't distribute it to their communities.” That's what I'm trying to avoid.

We talk a lot about trusting the vaccine, trusting, healthcare systems, but we, as healthcare systems need to trust patients. We need to know that they really want what's best for their families. And it's a two-way street. So that bi-directional trust, that's what we're working to build.

Things are moving very quickly and they're very complex. And so I think everyone is having questions. Everyone is having concerns as we can see, but I think this piece around the history of African Americans as it relates to everything in this country, but in specifically as it relates to healthcare in this country is all very real.

I think people have to recognize that we have this horrible history in medicine. And part of me being here today, part of me, sort of talking about the vaccine is hopefully to share the data that we have that really does promise great efficacy for the vaccine. It was tested in a diverse population.

I just kind of put the information out there. I share data and studies that I think are influential that are important and that are based in scientific rigor.

I am trying to make sense of this just like our patients are just like, you know, so many people are in our community and figure out amidst all the noise and everything that's happening and all the misinformation that's out there, you know, what do I need to do to protect myself and my family and my community.

As an African American woman, I'm aware that African American women have a higher mortality perinatal mortality rate, right. That African Americans have a higher COVID rate and COVID death rate.

This is a pandemic that has disproportionately affected more people of color. People like me. And, if anything at all, that should you know, turn out the light bulb to say, let me make sure I actually don't get this.

I think it's so important to get the information out to the community. We have a vaccine now that can help curb this pandemic, stop the loss of, you know, needless deaths that we have in our country.

I am a Jamerican, self-professed born in Jamaica, raised in New York and now live in Atlanta. And I am family oriented, faith driven. And not being able to see my family was extraordinarily impactful for me personally.

I see in terms of a lot of my patients and even also my friends, this pandemic has taken a toll on their mental health, in terms of depression, in terms of substance use, et cetera. And so my hope is that once we've gotten people vaccinated, we will get back to a place where we feel normal again, where we can live again.

So it's really personal and really important for me that Black and Brown people get vaccinated. We cannot wait. We need to get this done. This is a chance where we can level the playing field and make sure that we have equitable access to something that is really lifesaving.

So what's going to happen when we get enough people vaccinated is that we're going to see the death rates go down. Then we're going to see the hospitalization rates go down. And eventually we'll see the case level go down.

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