Minorities urged to get vaccine

Baton Rouge cardiac anesthesiologist Dr. Max Madhere understands the hesitancy among African Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The 100 Black Men-Baton Rouge executive member, who spoke during a webinar Wednesday hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and the 100 Black Men, said there have been documented cases in medical history in which African Americans have been treated unfairly. It’s something he said he also has seen in the level of care his children have received from a physician outside his race as opposed to an African American doctor.
Madhere said he can understand why the African American community wants to see data and have someone they trust in their community explain the process to them before they get the vaccine.
Despite the adversity, he wants to assure the African American community and minorities that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe.
“The difference with this vaccination that I always like to share with my community is there were people just like you and I who were part of the entire process from the development to the distribution,” Madhere told webinar cohost Paula Shepherd, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana vice president of benefit operations who also is chairperson of the company’s African American Employee Resource group.
Shepherd said that during a national conference featured chief executive officers of health insurance companies and experts in the health industry, a big topic that was discussed was ethics, disparities and how these disparities must be recognized in care and overcome so that things can be productive going forward.
“It’s glaring, and I think COVID-19 even exacerbated those and really brought it to the forefront,” she said.
As for the COVID-19 vaccines, she said that African Americans and minorities were included in the trials, which are regulated strictly by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with no short cuts taken.
Shepherd noted that some vaccines still haven’t been approved because they are still being tested.
“We have to show and continue to show that there is no undue harm that will come to people and that the benefits really outweigh any risk associated with anything that’s out there in the market place,” she said, adding that participants have to be informed of risks and have to give consent to participate in clinical trials.
Shepherd also said these clinical trials are better today about reaching the African American and minority communities to include in their trials.
“Because historically, the clinical trials focused many years ago on white males, but we have a very diverse population, and I think when we look at that, we want to ensure that this helps to give some level of assurance that we can move forward productively as a community and partake in this vaccination, which is so critical,” she said.
Madhere and Shepherd also discussed other challenges to the vaccine among minorities. Madhere noted transportation issues, the ability to leave work or enough sick leave to use and not get in trouble with their employer or even fired and how the elderly, who may not have internet access, can learn about the vaccine locations.
“This isn’t supposed to be a competition,” he said. “It’s supposed to be about equitable access to something that is affecting us but particularly marginalized communities at the top of the spectrum.”
Shepherd noted that it’s some of these issues, rather than a desire not to get the vaccine, that keeps some from accessing it.
She noted that the federal government is covering vaccine costs in 2021 through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, meaning there are no costs to those insured through a plan or Medicare or Medicaid or for those who don’t have insurance.
To help those access the vaccine, the state introduced the Bring Back Louisiana Campaign Thursday, which will help people get their vaccines as soon as they can, Gov. John Bel Edwards said during his news conference Thursday, which was livestreamed on Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
“The outreach effort is certainly an effort to make sure that we’re engaging with people who may be hesitant, but it’s also an effort to make sure that we are making vaccine available everywhere that we need to by identifying communities that maybe haven’t had adequate access up to now or there’s some barrier that we are unaware of or that sort of thing,” Edwards said.
“I continue to be confident that over time, more and more people will overcome this hesitancy and get vaccinated, because polling has been consistent that an ever increasing percentage of individuals will signal their willingness to get vaccinated, but they want some passage of time to happen, and we don’t know what that is,” Edwards added.
State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said during Edwards’ press conference that the program will utilize data and racial demographics to determine areas that need more work in vaccination efforts.
The program will begin with nine pilot sites — one in each of the state’s public health regions.
The program will include outreach in which people will be informed of upcoming vaccination events, their questions answered and vaccination signups available for upcoming events.
Kanter said a return to normalcy won’t return until vaccination numbers rise.
“I think this is how we’re going to do it,” he said.