Equity isn’t hard, but it does take intentional work to overcome the inequitable inertia of the status quo.

Yesterday, I was part of a team that vaccinated 500+ Black people in West Philly. Let me tell you, high level, how we made it work.

1. The clinic was a partnership between Mercy (a community hospital), @PennMedicine, and Black community leaders. This time those leaders were 20+ pastors of Black churches.

Partnering with trusted on-the-ground messengers is critical for success. /2

2. Vaccine clinic took place at an amazing Black church in the heart of W. Philly - Church of Christian Compassion lead by @Pastor_Herndon

I heard many people say they decided to get vaccinated because a) their pastor invited them & b) the clinic was in their neighborh /3

3. No/Low tech sign up process was key. Most people signed up via TEXT. We assessed eligibility, demographics, scheduled appt

We CALLED elderly who couldn’t text

*Frequent communication between Penn team & community partners ensured the most vulnerable were not left behind. /4

4. I held a zoom with the pastors that included info bout my own vaccine hesitancy journey, going over medical aspects of vaccine, and addressing their questions. 2 pastors told me at the event that my testimony made them decide yes to . Did the same for general community /5 https://twitter.com/eugenia_south/status/1352609861780070400

5. We had an amazing group of volunteers from the church, Penn, and Mercy. Volunteer slots were taken up in minutes. People want to give their time to help. /6

This was a team effort with many many people contributing. But I must recognize our fearless leader - the incredibly brilliant @katleemd.

This whole thing was set up in less than 2 weeks. Again - equity is not hard, but does take intentional work. /6

Final thoughts:

Black people want to get vaccinated.

Black people are not hard to find.

What we are doing now isn’t working.

Reimagining a system allows us to overcome both mistrust and structural barriers. /7

Final final thoughts. We are doing several more of these including other faiths and non-faith community groups. I hope @PennMedicine will keep going until ALL Black people who want to be vaccinated in the city get the shot. /end

cc: @meganranney @choo_ek @uche_blackstock @UPennEM @AMP_UPHSCHOP @TamorahLewisMD @DrLaPrincess @KemiDoll @PamelaBrownCNN @ava @AyannaPressley @PedsOtoDoc @IssakaMD @MaxJordan_N @hhburris @DrNunezSmith

More final thoughts. I want to recognize and shout out Black Doctors Consortium, founded and run by @alastanford. They are single handedly making sure Black people in Philly aren’t left behind with the vaccine. Much respect.