Black medical professionals at Cedars-Sinai, in a new series of videos released on YouTube, urge viewers to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The videos, along with an animated video explaining how the coronavirus vaccines work in the human body, are part of a new Cedars-Sinai health education campaign that addresses vaccine hesitancy through education, awareness and promotion of access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The Doses of Hope campaign — including videos, social media messages, digital assets and community toolkits — aims to promote COVID-19 vaccination in communities that currently have low vaccination rates, including the Black and Latino communities in Los Angeles.
The videos can be found on YouTube by searching for “Doses of Hope.”
“This past week, I’ve seen three children who have lost a parent to COVID this past year, and I usually have the answers to questions, but I don’t have the words to comfort them or their parents, and that is devastating,” pediatrician Dr. Kyle Monk says in his video plea. “And they have told me, multiple times, `I only wish this vaccine came sooner.”’
All Doses of Hope materials are available for free to community groups helping to educate the public that the COVID-19 vaccines have been proven safe and effective. The materials, available in Spanish and English, emphasize that the potential short-term side effects of the vaccines — soreness, headaches, fatigue — are nothing compared to the health risks of the virus.
“Our hope is that we can help spread the message that these vaccines work,” said Jonathan Schreiber, the hospital’s vice president of community engagement. “As part of our role as healthcare leaders, Cedars-Sinai is committed to the health and well-being of all communities.”
The campaign comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are surging, particularly among those who have not been vaccinated, due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. In response, Los Angeles County Public Health officials reinstated a mandate for individuals to wear face coverings indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
“Putting an end to this pandemic is within reach, but we need to work together for that to happen,” Schreiber said.
In addition to the video series, the Doses of Hope toolkit helps community organizations plan outreach and address any questions and concerns their members may have about the vaccines.
“For me, I think Doses of Hope — it’s literal,” said Dr. Stacy Tarradath, a family medicine physician included in the video series. “These vaccine dosages are going to give us the hope of returning to a normal life again.”