Taking Lessons Learned in Confronting Reluctance and Misinformation

Community mobilization is critical in battling COVID-19

New York, NY, (January 27, 2021) National Black Leadership Commission on Health (Black Health) is leveraging lessons learned in confronting reluctance and misinformation in our most vulnerable and underserved communities, primarily black and brown communities, disproportionately impacted by health disparities; lack of easily accessible and affordable health care; and rife with essential workers. Even as the pandemic continues to disproportionally impact these communities, we cannot let up on keeping attention on the on-going health disparities with regards to diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis-C, asthma and other challenges even as we expand education and awareness programs about where vaccinations are most needed to overcome the pandemic.

Black Health has been working since last spring sending teams to meet vulnerable and underserved communities across the city where they are – public housing, private developments, social service agencies, food pantries, churches, mosques – with the message to consistently follow the public health advice – mask up, social distance and testing for the virus before it spreads more widely than it already has.

We must, now, drive home the message that the vaccine is a critically important tool in the kit. We cannot oversell the vaccine as a stand-alone remedy, because if it isn’t available to everyone based on the timeline, it will only add to skeptics. This is no time to slack off on the essentials of hand washing, social distancing and wearing a mask as we await vaccinations.

And above all, we must drive home that we truly are all in this together.