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Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

5 Mar, 10 tweets, 4 min read

@nytimes

I've been wanting to scream this from the top of my lungs for a while: STOP CALLING BLACK PEOPLE VACCINE HESITANT

But now, I can also say, read why in my first ever article in @nytimes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Short thread (with less exclamation marks lol)
nytimes.com/2021/03/05/opi…

The truth is, Black people don't hate vaccines. We hate exploitation, experimentation and neglect. And many of us, need not resurrect the ghosts of Tuskegee to recall moments in which we’ve endured such abuse.

As a result, Black folks are some of the most discerning healthcare consumers in the US. That discernment often manifests in LEGITIMATE questions & concerns. Mislabeling those concerns as "vaccine hesitancy" is dismissive AND tacitly blames Black folks for their undervaccination.

@KFF

According to @KFF, up to 27% of Black folks surveyed said they would decline COVID vaccination, or only receive it if required. But among the 1 in 3 still "waiting to see" most have common, completely understandable concerns about safety and even cost (COVID vaccines are free!)

You know what narrows racial disparities in childhood vaccination rates - making them free!

You know what narrows racial disparities in adult flu vaccination rates - a provider simply offering it to Black people!

In the US, vaccination acceptance rates are ALL. ABOUT. ACCESS.

(1) access to health insurance (2) access to a health care provider (3) access to a health care provider that recommends vaccination and other preventative services (4) access to credible information about vaccines and (5) convenient access to vaccines.

@blackbodyhealth

I was on a webinar this week @blackbodyhealth's State of Black Health and there were 350+ Black folks in the chat of a one hour webinar and we couldn't even keep up with the hundreds of questions posted. Black folks don't hate COVID vaccines, they have questiions and concerns!

@KFF

That's why @KFF @BCAgainstCOVID and I partnered to respect Black folks LEGITIMATE and common concerns (the number #1 concern is safety, which is also our #1 concern in health care and why we have clinical trials). So to those with questions, check out: BetweenUsAboutUs.org

Just like surgeons don't prep patients for surgery by saying, “Just trust me, I’ll see you in the OR.” The US health care system cannot prepare Black people to make the critical choice by belaboring blind trust and pushing for some abstract confidence. Black people deserve more.

@doccrearperry

To hear me talk more about this in real time...check out this interview @doccrearperry and I did with @hari...Dr. Crear-Perry goes in!

https://twitter.com/AmanpourCoPBS/status/1367585791359279107

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More from @RheaBoydMD

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

@RheaBoydMD

4 Mar

Hello Black America! Black health care workers across the country and I hear your questions and concerns about the COVID vaccines and we're bringing the information right to you. It's time for us to have a conversation Between Us About Us. Watch and share now! #BetweenUsAboutUs

@BCAgainstCOVID

@BCAgainstCOVID @greaterthanCV19 @KFF and I have co-developed more than 50 FAQ videos answering the top questions and concerns we hear from Black communities. Visit BetweenUsAboutUs.org to watch and join the conversation!

@wkamaubell

Today's launch is just the beginning of our commitment to ensure every Black person in the country has the information they need to make the critical choice about receiving the COVID vaccines. Shout out to @wkamaubell who has been working with us to bring these facts to you!

Read 5 tweets

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

@RheaBoydMD

29 Jan

Just read Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine is 66% effective against moderate COVID and 85% effective against severe disease (to compare Moderna is 95% effective against moderate and severe COVID) - my first thought was, who will get the less effective vaccine and how will we decide?

Despite its lower efficacy in clinical trial, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine has the benefit of only requiring ONE dose, which means, theoretically, it could be easier to administer to lots of people (since folks will not require a follow up visit for a 2nd dose).

@NEJM

The Moderna/Pfizer efficacy data place them among the most effective vaccines on the market (!) @NEJM has created a helpful FAQ list which covers this point: nejm.org/covid-vaccine/…

Read 7 tweets

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

@RheaBoydMD

12 Dec 20

The very first Black doctors, back in the 1800s (!!), argued that racial health disparities were driven by racism (and more precisely racial capitalism).

That I have to argue this same basic fact in 2020, doesn't make me my "ancestors wildest dreams." My ancestors already knew.

@KFF

And you don't need to be a doctor to know racism harms Black folks' health. Black people who are not doctors, know too!

Here is recent data from the @KFF and @TheUndefeated poll asking Black folks how racism shapes their outcomes. They know.

And yet here we are in healthcare, year after year, CENTURY AFTER CENTURY, asking the same essential question when the answer HAS BEEN clear.

RACISM MAKES PEOPLE SICK.

RACISM KILLS PEOPLE.

This is true despite one's income or education status.

Read 6 tweets

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

@RheaBoydMD

7 Nov 20

I'm going to say something that might be hard to hear, but I'm going to say it anyway.

To those who continue to decry the thin margins in this election, you need to de-center whiteness in your analysis.

Brief thread.

These takes, that lament "how close this presidential race is" as some referendum on the nation and it's progress effectively ignore the populations for whom this election was not close at all.

Let's briefly review some of those groups.

Navajo Nation helped flip Arizona!

navajotimes.com/rezpolitics/el…

Read 10 tweets

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

@RheaBoydMD

21 Oct 20

@TheLancet

This quietly dropped in @TheLancet 2 days ago.

Joining voices across medicine and public health, Dr. Nancy Krieger, Dr. @CamaraJones and I lay out the stakes of this election, as we see them.

I’m going to briefly list them here, as a reminder.

thelancet.com/journals/lance…

1. In a departure from takes that decry the lack of leadership in the current administration, we call attention to the dangers of white supremacy, authoritarianism, and nationalism-lethal threats to our democracy, our lives and the viability of the planet. nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

2. We focus on the adverse impact this administration has had on our nation’s health and well-being - an impact illustrated by, and extending far beyond, the deadly toll of the current pandemic.

Read 10 tweets

Rhea Boyd MD, MPH

@RheaBoydMD

2 Sep 20

@ProfDesmondAng

Did everyone see this paper by @ProfDesmondAng called The Effects of Police Violence on Inner-City Students??

It documents how living in proximity to policing killings increases student absenteeism, decreases their GPA and their likelihood to graduate! Thread (with pdf link)

I want to list some of the findings because they are significant and alarming.

The study looks at 700,000 high school students in Los Angeles from 2002-2016 and their proximity to a local police killing (based on their home address).

Here's the pdf: scholar.harvard.edu/files/ang/file…

It finds that in the days following a police killing absenteeism spikes among nearby students (defined as those who live within a 0.5mi radius of the killing).

Nearby students also experience a decrease in their GPA (up to 0.08 standard deviations) for at least FOUR semesters.

Read 9 tweets

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