THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON YOUR
SHOW.
>> THE COVID-19 VACCINES BROUGHT
NEW HOPE AS WE RANG OUT THE YEAR
2020.
AND WHILE MANY CAN'T WAIT FOR
THEIR NUMBER TO BE CALLED TO GET
THE SHOT IN COMING MONTHS, SOME
PEOPLE IN UNDERREPRESENTED
COMMUNITIES ARE RELUCTANT.
BUT WHY?
WE TURN TO DR. TITO IZARD,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MILWAUKEE
HEALTH SERVICES, A HEALTH CENTER
WORKING TO IMPROVE HEALTH
OUTCOMES AND IMPROVE DISPARITIES
AMONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC
COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> DESCRIBE TO US HOW YOUR
PARENTS ARE RESPONDING TO THE
POSSIBILITY OF GETTING THE
COVID-19 VACCINE.
>> WELL, I THINK OUR PARENTS ARE
RESPONDING JUST LIKE ALL
AMERICANS.
WHEN WE SAY ALL AMERICANS, WE
CLEARLY HAVE A DIVIDE IN HOW
WE'RE INTERPRETING THE RESULTS.
SOME PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY
EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE
VACCINE IS HERE AND READY TO GET
THEIR SHOT YESTERDAY.
AND OTHERS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE
HESITANT AND RELUCTANT, FOR A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT REASONS THAT
ARE PRETTY COMPLEX.
>> WELL, I WANTED TO ASK YOU
ABOUT THOSE.
WHAT ARE THOSE KINDS OF CONCERNS
ON THE PART OF PEOPLE WHO MIGHT
BE RELUCTANT?
>> SO THE COMMUNITY I SERVE IS
85% AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND OF THE
POPULATION HERE IN WISCONSIN AND
IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, MOST
HAVE HISTORICAL TIES TO SLAVERY.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HEALTH CARE,
HEALTH CARE HAS ACTUALLY NEVER
BEEN IN PARITY WITH THE MAJORITY
OF SOCIETY.
WE'VE ALWAYS EXPERIENCED HEALTH
DISPARITIES.
AT THE BEGINNING THE
DR. /PATIENT RELAIB SHIP IT WAS
NOT ONE OF ALTRUISM OR THE
HIPPOCRATIC OATH.
SLAVES WERE USED TO ADVANCE
SCIENCE BUT NOT AT THE
BETTERMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL
PERSON.
AND EVEN DR. MARION SIMMS, WHO
WAS KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF
MODERN GYNECOLOGY, ACTUALLY
PERFORMED OVER 30 SURGERIES ON A
17-YEAR-OLD SLAVE WOMAN WITHOUT
ANESTHESIA.
BETWEEN THAT AND EVEN UP TO THE
1970s WHERE YOU HAD A LOT OF
DOCTORS PERFORMING HIS TER
RECKMIES ON BLACK WOMEN WITHOUT
FULL EXTENT, THE EXPERIMENT
REGARDING SYPHILIS.
THERE'S A LONGSTANDING HISTORY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BLACK
COMMUNITY AND OTHER MINORITY
COMMUNITIES, NOT HAVING
CONTINUITY OF CARE WITH A
PROVIDER WHERE YOU CAN DEVELOP
THESE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS,
THEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
DEALING WITH.
YOU DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE YOUR
BEST INTEREST BECAUSE
RELATIONSHIPS ARE ACTUALLY
DEVELOPED OVER TIME WITH TRUST.
>> SO HOW DO YOU GET PAST THAT
DEVELOPING OF TRUST?
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S
WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO KNOW.
HOW DO YOU GET PAST THAT?
I LOVE THE STATEMENT ALWAYS BE
CAUTIOUS OF WEARY OF A SIMPLE
SOLUTION TO A COMPLEX PROBLEM.
THE REALITY IS IN ORDER TO GET
PAST THAT, WE HAVE TO ADDRESS
THE HISTORICAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES THAT HAVE EXISTED.
FOR NATIVE BLACKS, BEING A
DESCENDANT OF SLAVERY IS HOW WE
HAVE HEALTH DISPARITIES, WHETHER
IT'S IN IMPLEMENTING, WHETHER
IT'S WITH COVID-19, WHETHER IT'S
CANCER RATES OR CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASE.
ALL THESE THINGS LINK BACK TO
THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF
HEALTH COMPONENTS, CONSEQUENCES
OF BEING ECONOMICALLY EXCLUDED
FROM AMERICAN SOCIETY.
SO IN ORDER TO TRULY GET PAST
IT, WE ACTUALLY WOULD HAVE TO
CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE
REPARATIONS PROGRAM, RESTORATIVE
HEALTH EQUITY.
>> WHAT ARE YOU ADVISING AT THIS
MOMENT TO YOUR PATIENTS AROUND
THE VACCINE?
>> YEAH.
AND THAT'S A GREAT POINT,
BECAUSE IT IS -- IT'S VERY
DIFFICULT AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT
IT FOR ETHNIC MINORITY
POPULATIONS VERSUS THE GENERAL
POPULATION, MANY PEOPLE WOULD
CONSIDER GETTING THE VACCINE
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
SO WHAT I AM RECOMMENDING AT
THIS POINT IN TIME, BECAUSE THE
VACCINE -- WE HAVE TO REALIZE
WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW AND WHAT
ARE WE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS ON.
RIGHT NOW THE VACCINE HAS BEEN
PROVEN TO REDUCE MORE SEVERE
SYMPTOMS.
IT HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN YET --
AND WE HOPE IT WILL -- TO REDUCE
ACTUAL DEATHS.
SO AT THIS TIME FOR THOSE
PATIENTS WHO A LITTLE BIT MORE
LEERY OF GETTING THE VACCINE,
I'M NOT TRYING TO DENIGRATE THEM
OR MAKE THEM FEEL BAD.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IF YOU ARE
60 OR OVER OR IF YOU HAVE ANY
UNCONTROLLED CHRONIC HEALTH
CONDITION OR THREE OR MORE
CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS, I
WOULD SAY YOU REALLY SHOULD
CONSIDER GETTING THE VACCINE
RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO IS
BETWEEN 40 TO 59 AND YOU MAY
HAVE TWO CHRONIC HEALTH
CONDITIONS BUT THEY'RE PRETTY
STABLE, THEN I WOULD SAY IF YOU
WANTED TO WAIT, YOU KNOW, THREE
UP TO SIX MONTHS, THAT MAY BE
REASONABLE FOR YOU.
AND IF YOU'RE SOMEONE WHO'S
UNDER 40 AND YOU HAVE NO CHRONIC
HEALTH CONDITIONS, I THINK IT'S
COMPLETELY REASONABLE FOR THAT
PERSON TO WAIT SIX MONTHS IF
THEY DECIDED TO ALLOW THE
SCIENCE TO BETTER ASSESS WHETHER
THE OUTCOMES ARE ACTUALLY GOING
TO REDUCE MORTALITY OR NOT.
AND SO I THINK THAT WE DON'T
HAVE TO HAVE THIS ONE SIZE FITS
ALL.
IT CAN BE A CONVERSATION WITH
OUR PATIENTS.
CLEARLY THOSE THAT HAVE HIGH
RISK, YOUR RISK OF DYING OR
HAVING SEVERE ILLNESS FROM THE
COVID-19 VIRUS, IT MAY MAKE YOU
DECIDE, YEAH, I'D RATHER GET THE
VACCINE RIGHT NOW.
BUT IF YOU'RE 27 AND HEALTHY,
THE REALITY IS WITH THE SYMPTOMS
RIGHT NOW THAT WE KNOW, 63% HAVE
FATIGUE, 55% HAVE HEADACHES,
ALMOST 14%, 15% WILL HAVE FEVER.
SO I THINK IT'S REASONABLE FOR
THAT PERSON TO WAIT SIX MONTHS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THAT IS GREAT AND REASONED
ADVICE.
DR. TITO IZARD, THANK YOU SO
MUCH AND GOOD LUCK.
>>