EXPERT INSIGHTS
Our Coalition includes leading experts in public health, public policy, medical science, anthropology, sociology, and public engagement. Members also hold significant practical experience in local government, philanthropy, and community activism. Capturing this expertise, we offer a series of instructive videos on topics relevant to an equitable and effective COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and to efforts to stand up, strengthen, and sustain the local community health workforce in the US.
CommuniHealth Master Classes on Sustainability for Health Equity Initiatives
Master Class #1
“Public Health, Philanthropy, and Ground Level Pointers”
Local and state public health agencies, as well as local and regional foundations, are critical allies for community organizations and other stakeholders working to acquire and sustain support for the community health workforce and other health equity initiatives. Dr. Richard Krieg, the former Commissioner of Health for the City of Chicago and the former President of the Horizon Foundation in Maryland, provides tips on how to collaborate effectively with philanthropic and public health entities.
Master Class #2
“Sustaining Health Equity Action: Partnerships Are Key for Local Groups”
If health equity initiatives active during the COVID-19 pandemic are to continue beyond the crisis and address a community’s ongoing self-identified needs, then partnerships between community groups and state and local government are key. Drawing upon her experiences as a former assistant city manager and ongoing senior advisor on regional resilience planning, Ms. Arrietta Chakos argues for anchoring health equity as a community principle going forward, interrogates the “scrappy politics” necessary to make the possible, health equity work, and explains how partnerships can make funding more available to community groups.
Vaccine Safety
Ensuring COVID-19 vaccines are safe is a critical concern to the US vaccination program. In this video, Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center, explains the United States’ process to monitor vaccine safety both before and after vaccine production. Topics include clinical trials, data and safety monitoring boards, and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
CommuniHealth Educational Videos on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety, Vaccine Hesitancy; Public Engagement; and Race, Racism and Medicine
Vaccine Hesitancy
Vaccine hesitancy occurs when an individual is uncertain about their decision to get vaccinated. In this video, Dr. Heidi Larson, the founding director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, discusses vaccine hesitancy and how it may impact the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Topics include vaccine hesitancy and its root causes, vaccine hesitancy within the context of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the larger impacts of vaccine hesitancy on the vaccination process.
Race, Racism, and Medicine
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding systemic inequities that have led to disproportionate health and economic impacts in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. In this video, Dr. Alexandre White, a professor in the Department of Sociology at the Johns Hopkins University and in the Department of the History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, explains the complex role that racism and race plays in medicine and public health ethical practice and how that history impacts modern perceptions of the healthcare system.
Public Engagement
Public health often references plans to engage with members of the public to develop more tailored, community-informed interventions and deliverables. In this video, Ms. Beth Weaver, a senior mediator at RESOLVE, discuses community engagement, including what community outreach looks like, who should be involved, and how consensus with communities can be obtained.