In the ninth installment series of their S.O.S. Webinar Series, Associated Black Charities (ABC) is offering COVID-19 Vaccines: Just The Facts. The February 11th virtual meeting will be held from 6-7PM. Click here for free registration.

Diane Bell McKoy, CEO of ABC shared that “The intertwined history of public health and structural racism makes approaching the new vaccines an understandably complicated and sensitive conversation.” Speaking as to what inspired them to center their latest event on public health: “We cannot tell Black and brown workers whether or not they should be administered the vaccine. But it is our desire to help people make an informed decision.

The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Michelle A. Gourdine, Interim Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Population Health and Primary Care for the University of Maryland Medical System. Her role of overseeing efforts across System sites to both develop and implement population health strategies will bring a relevant and knowledgeable voice to the conversation.

Dr. Gourdine will lead a panel of other clinical experts that includes Dr. Fermin Barrueto Jr. and Dr. Gregory Schrank, both of University of Maryland Medical System, as well as Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner, a Crisis and Split-second Decisions Expert.

Dr. Barrueto is the Chief Medical Officer at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, as well as UM UCH Incident Commander for COVID-19 and co-chairs the UMMS Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee. He is double-certified in emergency medicine and medical toxicology, has authored prolifically in the medical and education communities, and has led several new population health initiatives as well serving as the Medical Director for the Comprehensive Care Center.

Dr. Mount Varner will bring a unique voice to the panel from his vantage point as best-selling author, physician, international speaker, and executive. His degrees and continued training span institutions such as Hampton, Harvard and Johns Hopkins. Dr. Mount Varner founded health care industry consultant Lifeline Medical, LLC, is the author of “Home Alive: 11 Must Steps to Surviving Encounters with the Police”, and has served in numerous emergency medicine settings across the Maryland region.

Dr. Schrank served as an Incident Commander of the Medical Center’s COVID-19 response through the spring and summer of 2020 and is currently helping to plan COVID-19 vaccination efforts for patients across the University of Maryland Medical System. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Disease at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and currently sees patients at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center as well as serving as Associate Hospital Epidemiologist for the University of Maryland Medical Center.

This information-focused webinar to aims to address questions such as what was the process for the making of the vaccines, what does it mean when reference is made about “herd” level for the vaccinations and why, and what to expect when the vaccine is administered. The panel will also address questions from the webinar audience.

ABC works across Maryland as an educator, advocate, and supporter to eliminate race-based structural barriers and advance long-term solutions that create new opportunities for African Americans to thrive financially and build a stronger economy for all.