Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is available to all Washington residents over 16, many are trying to understand their choices. Balanced You wants to support employees by connecting you with the information you need to make the best decision for you and your family. We encourage you to turn to trusted resources, like Public Health – Seattle and King County (PHSKC).

Covid Vaccines: A Community Conversation

“Why should I trust the vaccine? What’s the difference between the vaccines?” There are many common questions and concerns surrounding the vaccine. For many in the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, there are additional hesitancies around the vaccine due to medical trauma, language and access barriers, or historical racism in the healthcare system. PHSKC is hosting a panel event on Thursday, April 29 with local BIPOC leaders to help answer your questions live.

Bring your questions about COVID-19 vaccines to this panel discussion and Q&A. This community event is open to all. Interpretation (Español, af Soomaali, Tiếng Việt, Pусский), live captioning, and ASL will be provided. Join on Thursday, April 29 via Zoom: https://kingcounty.zoom.us/j/91748415135#success

Panelists:

• 𝗔𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗶 – Executive Director and Co-founder of the Somali Health Board; Pharmacy Manager at Othello Station Pharmacy
• 𝗔𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗵 – Chief Medical Officer, International Community Health Services (ICHS)
• 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗕𝘆𝘂𝗻 – Executive Director, Asian Counselling and Referral Services (ACRS)
• 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝗺𝗲 – Infectious Diseases Medical Director, UW Medical Center Northwest
• 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗷𝘂 – Implementation Manager, Public Health – Seattle & King County
• 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 – Holy Template Evangelistic Center
• The panel will be hosted by Naisha Williams – Lead for COVID Vaccination in BIPOC Communities for Public Health – Seattle & King County.

Community resources

The PHSKC community vaccine resource page has great resources whether you want to learn about how the COVID vaccine was made, get the facts about the vaccine, or connect to information in different languages. Videos and flyers are tailored to meet the needs for specific communities.

Watch this 15 minute conversation with Michele Sarju and Meredith Li-Vollmer from Public Health – Seattle & King County where they discuss COVID-19 vaccine safety, historical medical racism and trauma, and what gives them hope as two BIPOC women.

For more of timely Public Health and Covid-19 information, read the Public Health Insider from PHSKC.