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Gun Violence: Public Health Emergency in Alameda County

Oakland community leaders call on Alameda County to declare gun violence a public health emergency

Black and brown community leaders are calling on Alameda County to officially declare gun violence a public health emergency and commit $100 million of newly available federal pandemic relief funding to help communities directly impacted by gun violence.

“State of emergency!” a crowd of about three dozen residents and activists repeatedly chanted at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater on Thursday morning. Leaders in attendance represented local organizations such as LIVE FREE, Roots Community Health Center, Fund Peace, Faith In Action East Bay, and Californians for Safety and Justice.

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July is Minority Mental Health Month

Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental health conditions do not discriminate based on race, color, gender or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background. However, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 2008 to start changing this.

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COVID-19 Vaccine: What White Conservatives Can Learn from Black Americans

“In November 2020, news broke about the successful development of the first vaccines against COVID-19 and people began to debate whether or not they would be inoculated. As Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the leaders of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sought to distribute information to diminish fears about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, and most importantly, its crucial necessity in halting the pandemic; virulent misinformation about the virus and the safety of the injection was spreading rapidly across social media. In the United States alone, COVID-19 has killed nearly 600,000 and sickened more than 33,340,000.
One group that was understandably hesitant about receiving the vaccine was Black Americans. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in December 2020, 52% of Black Americans said they would take a wait-and-see approach to the vaccine with only 20% saying that they wanted to be vaccinated as soon as possible. In comparison, skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine was lower in white (36%) and Latino populations (43%). This was particularly concerning since according to the CDC, Black Americans were 2.9 times more likely to require hospitalization for COVID-19 and 1.9 times more likely to die from the disease than white Americans….”

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Community-Academic Partnerships to Address Covid-19 Inequities: Lessons from the San Francisco Bay Area

“A coalition of Bay Area community organizations, academic institutions, and public health departments collaborated to provide high-risk populations with Covid-19 testing and vaccination, and also took the opportunity to connect them with other essential services….”

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Men’s Health Month

June is Men’s Health Month, a national observance used to raise awareness about health care for men and focus on encouraging boys, men, and their families to practice and implement healthy living decisions, such as exercising and eating healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men in the United States, on average, die 5 years earlier than women and die at higher rates from the three leading causes of death, heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries. During Men’s Health Month, we encourage men to take control of their health, and for families to teach young boys healthy habits throughout childhood.

This day in Black History–February 22nd

On this day in 1950, legendary basketball player Julius “Dr J” Erving was born.

Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J.Widely known as Dr. J, Julius Erving, an NBA legend who changed the game with his own unique playing style consisting of spins and swirls in the air, was born in Roosevelt, New York, on Feb. 22, 1950.

Erving attended the University of Massachusetts and entered the American Basketball Association in 1971 as a player for the Virginia Squires. After two seasons, he went on to play for the New York Nets until 1976 when he was picked up by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The team soon began to flourish with Erving’s presence and the team took the NBA championship in 1983. Dr. J was also an 11 time NBA all-star and a two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1977 and 1983. In 1987, Erving retired from the NBA and was considered one of the greatest dunkers of all time. He has scored 30,000 points in his professional career.

In 1993, Erving was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Since retiring he has worked as a sports analyst for NBC and pursued business opportunities within the league such as holding an executive position with the Orlando Magic.

On this day February 22nd in 1989, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince won the first rap Grammy for their single “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

“Parents Just Don’t Understand” is the second single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince‘s second studio album, He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards, one of the two songs to do so before the award was discontinued in 1991. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. [1] The song was released as a single in spring 1988, referenced several times in the television show The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air and was ranked number 96 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The music video was featured in the 2003 film Malibu’s Most Wanted.

Covered CA Joins with African American Health Leaders to Address Vaccine Confidence

Greetings!

Today, Covered California joined with African American health leaders to encourage Black Californians to address vaccine confidence, get inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available and to sign up for quality health insurance coverage through Covered California or Medi-Cal.

Speakers included Dr. David Carlisle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science- Los Angeles, Dr. Elaine Batchlor, Chief Executive Officer of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital and Dr. Adrian James Chief Medical Officer of West Oakland Health Council. These health leaders provided up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and its impact on communities of color and health care delivery, as well as the importance of getting vaccinated.

Two recent national surveys show that Black Americans are the racial and ethnic group least likely to get vaccinated. The studies pointed to a fear of side effects and a lack of confidence in the government and medical community, something California health leaders say needs to be addressed and acknowledged to move forward with protecting our communities from COVID-19.

A Pew Research Center survey found that only 42 percent of Black Americans said they would “definitely” or “probably” take the COVID-19 vaccine if it were available today, which is well below the results of Asian (83 percent), Hispanic (63 percent) and White (61 percent) groups. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey also found that willingness of Black adults (62 percent) to get vaccinated was lower than White (73 percent) and Hispanic (71 percent) groups. In addition, the most recent data from the California Department of Public Health shows that the rate of death associated with COVID-19 among Black Californians (7.1 percent) is nearly double the infection rate (4 percent).

The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of quality health care coverage. Right now, an estimated 1.2 million Californians are uninsured — including an estimated 67,000 African Americans — even though they are eligible for financial help through Covered California, or they qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal.

In response to the crisis, and to ensure that Californians have the health care coverage they need during the pandemic, Covered California took the unprecedented step of giving consumers until December 30 to sign up for coverage that begins on January 1, 2021. Open enrollment ends January 30^th and consumers who sign up in January can have their coverage take effect on February 1, 2021.

Attached is a press release with more information about today’s event. Additionally, you can view today’s event at this LINK.

You can also help spread the word by encouraging your network to visit www.CoveredCA.com to learn more about their coverage options. Consumers can get free and confidential assistance, in a variety of languages from a certified enroller by having a certified enroller call them.

If you have any questions, please connect with us.

Sincerely,

Waynee Lucero

Testing is free and available to anyone with symptoms, and to any health care, front line, or essential worker even if they have no symptoms. COVID-19 symptoms cough, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell.

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