A Message from the CEO

A Message from the CEO

It is well documented that African American communities have suffered far more from COVID-19.  Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, substance abuse, living conditions, poverty,  poor access to quality healthcare, lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables all contribute to an unfair experience with this pandemic.

Equally well known is the distrust of government, health care professionals, institutions, and science-based information by many Black Americans. The specter of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the experience of Henrietta Lacks, and other examples complicate the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in communities.

With vaccine distribution ramping up across the country, it is more important than ever that Erie’s African American community have credible and accurate information to fight against this deadly disease. That is why CHN is presenting content from Greater Than COVID’s “The Conversation.”  This weekly journal of over 50 videos from black health care workers answer questions and dispel misinformation that has filled social media and is an assault on Black communities.

Our mission at Community Health Net is to improve the quality of life in our region by providing professional healthcare services with compassion, respect, and dignity to all.  Join us each week in this discussion and help make our communities of color healthy, safe, and vibrant!

The Conversation

Does the COVID vaccine research reflect the needs of communities of color?

“The NIH set up five different panels of scientists based on they have an African American, they have a Latinx, they have one that deals with geriatric patients, and the Veterans Administration patients and then other Indigenous groups. And they set that up so that we would be able to see the phase one and the phase two data that led to the phase three trial.

Can pregnant women get the COVID vaccine?

“From all the data and information that we have, we know that it’s a safe vaccine, and we know that women who are pregnant are at increased risk for poor outcomes from a COVID infection. And so, I definitely offer the vaccine to pregnant women and am very confident that it is something that is safe to take during pregnancy.”

How do we know the COVID vaccines are safe?

“We in this country are really privileged to have a very good, very robust system, that looks at vaccine safety. So, before any vaccine goes on the market there’s been months of tests to make sure that it is safe. Those months before vaccine goes on the market are meant to find common side effects that could be serious.

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