Amid concerns specific to COVID-19 vaccination and health disparities related to ethnicity, OU Health Physicians, Prospect Church, the City of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, have partnered to present an educational opportunity for residents of the northeast Oklahoma City community. In an informal town-hall format, the virtual event is scheduled for 5 p.m., Sunday, April 18.
Prospect Church senior pastor Dr. Lee Cooper Jr. will host the event, and Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice will serve as moderator for the panel discussion. Participants may access the virtual town hall via Nice's Facebook page, or join the meeting through Zoom: Click here (Use Meeting ID 862 3379 9348, passcode 573406)
"COVID-19 is an ongoing threat to public health that has had a disproportionate impact on people of color and our most vulnerable residents," said Nice. "This is an opportunity to become better informed in efforts to increase awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine and advocate for our families to have better outcomes, not just for today, but also to have positive influence on generations to follow."
Participants include these experts who will speak from their own experiences with COVID-19 and vaccinations efforts, and will answer questions posed by virtual attendees:
- Donna Tyungu, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Oklahoma Children's Hospital OU Health, will address vaccines, side effects and emerging variants of COVID-19.
- Marvin Williams Jr., D.O., Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Oklahoma Children's Hospital OU Health, specializes in managing high-risk pregnancies. Board certified in maternal-fetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, he will discuss vaccine concerns related to pregnancy.
- Pamela Allen, M.D., Dermatology, OU Health Physicians, will explore the likely origins of vaccine reticence in Black communities, including implicit bias, health disparities and historical trauma.
- Eddie Withers, MPH, lead epidemiologist with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, will speak from his experience in overseeing OCCHD's COVID-19 response in Oklahoma County for more than a year.
Questions for panel discussion may be submitted by email to Ward7@okc.gov or by phone, (405)-297-2569.