Message from the Health and Wellness Committee

A couple weeks ago we were blessed to witness the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States and the first woman, a woman of color, to serve as Vice President of the United States. The transition to a new administration has been long awaited as we have yearned for leadership that is more proactive, more engaged, and more responsible to its citizenry. It is with renewed hope and expectation that this newly inaugurated executive branch of government will engender sense and sensibilities that our Nation so desperately needs to begin the process of healing and recovery. As we continue to fight against social and racial injustices, we also continue to fight against healthcare disparities. The COVID19 pandemic continues to have deleterious effects throughout the world and is notably disproportionately affecting morbidity and mortality of African Americans and people of color. To combat the unmitigated propagation of the COVID19 virus, several vaccinations have been manufactured and are now being administered throughout the country. For many in the African American community, however, the perspective of healthcare is jaundiced by a legacy of medical mistrust: consider the Tuskegee syphilis project or the cancer cells taken, without her consent, from the late Henrietta Lacks to advance medical science. The community is divided about the vaccination, expressing that it was developed too quickly or that it is being given with the intention of causing viral infection. Though the sting of medical mistrust still pervades our community and influences our interactions with the healthcare system, it is imperative that we imagine how to be more engaged and participatory, through our own volition, in health science research- for the betterment of our people. Below I have provided a vaccination schedule, by state, from local government health departments. Individuals are vaccinated on a prioritized tier based on one’s level of exposure to the virus or based on one’s medical risks due to underlying conditions or based upon place of residence (long-term care nursing home residents). Washington, D.C.: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/sites/default/ files/dc/sites/coronavirus/page_content/ attachments/Vaccination-Program-Phaseswith-Tiers.pdf Maryland: https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/ vaccine Virginia: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19vaccine/phase-by-health-district/ As a front-line healthcare professional, I received my initial vaccination (Pfizer) December 28, 2020 and the second dose January 18, 2021. I had minimal side effects - injection site “awareness”, lasting approximately 24 hours, as I wouldn’t describe the sensation as true soreness, after the first injection and injection site soreness, lasting a couple days, after the second. Colleagues have experienced other symptoms such as fatigue and chills with lowgrade fever. Be mindful, however, that pain and other physical symptoms are subjective; thus, everyone’s perception will differ. I encourage each of you to highly consider the vaccination and also encourage you to have a conversation with your healthcare provider about any concerns that you might have.

Well-wishes to all in this new year.

Fraternally, Brother Alvin L. Reaves, III, M.D. Co-Chair Health and Wellness Committee