VCOM 2021 Annual Report

ALUMNI

ALUMNI VIEWS

Vaccine Efforts Minimizing Health Inequalities

Jacqueline Hicks, DO VCOM-Virginia, Class of 2008 Family Medicine, WakeMed North Hospital, Raleigh, NC Q: How are you upholding the VCOM mission and making a difference in your community and the patients you see? throughout the community, performing various presentations throughout the community and volunteering at a local nonprofit for the working uninsured. I’ve served on various committees at my current place of employment to promote clinic safety and optimize patient health during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also serve as a member of “The Sister Circle,” and we facilitate vaccination efforts for minorities of Wake County. Q: What is The Sister Circle, and how is it making a difference in rural North Carolina communities? A: I have continued to exemplify the VCOM mission by volunteering my services A: The Sister Circle is a group of six black physicians: Rasheeda Monroe, MD (Pediatrician and founder), Netasha McLawhorn, MD (OB/GYN), Tiffany Lowe-Payne, DO (Family Medicine/Obesity Medicine), Michele Benoit- Wilson, MD (OBGYN), Narrisa Price, MD (Psychiatry) and myself. We phenomenally orchestrated vaccination efforts to minimize health inequities in Wake County, North Carolina. We realized and understood the vaccination disparity among marginalized communities within Wake County and empathized as black physicians, and we had the platform to change the statistics. We started by posting pictures of ourselves getting vaccinated, but this wasn’t enough. We needed to take the vaccines to the people. Dr. Monroe proposed to our employer, WakeMed, that we

will find the people if they provide the vaccines. On our first vaccination drive, we were able to get over 700 individuals within 24 hours willing to be vaccinated. We realized the vaccine disparity among marginalized communities was due predominately to lack of access through this initial effort. For instance, many didn’t own a computer or know how to navigate the Internet. So we simplified the process using only paper and pencil for registrants. With the help of our community partners—our health department and churches—we were able to successfully vaccinate 15,000 individuals from marginalized communities. We successfully lowered the inequity gap within North Carolina after each vaccination clinic, beginning January 2021 through May 2021. Q: How many physicians and medical professionals did it start with, and how many are involved now? A: The Sister Circle is a group of six physicians. However, we created a “Strike Team” of over 300 physicians—including our very own Latoya Woods, DO, APPs, nurses and non-medical volunteers to assist in vaccination efforts. Q: What are some examples (other than COVID-19 vaccinations) of other ways The Sister Circle has helped its community? A: Black women account for approximately two percent of US physicians. With this being said, I believe The Sister Circle has and will continue to foster trust within marginalized communities as it relates to healthcare. As a result, we have reduced healthcare disparities within Wake County. Collectively, we have all witnessed an influx of minorities seeking medical care. ■

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