(SAVANNAH, GA) Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia are inviting community members interested in health equity to consider becoming Community Health Advocates (CHAs). An online information and training session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 13.

“If you are a neighborhood representative, a church or health ministry leader, community service provider, or someone who enjoys interacting, sharing information, and listening, we hope you will consider this opportunity to elevate the health equity of our community,” said Nichele Hoskins, communication manager.” The main purpose of this outreach is to build awareness among people living in Chatham County’s priority communities to help prevent, minimize, identify, and understand more about the spread of viruses. It’s especially important for people with chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure. Their risk of getting very sick or dying due to COVID or influenza is high.”

In addition to a $500 stipend participants will receive for performing community outreach activities after the training, they can look forward to sharpening leadership and networking skills, and learning about advocacy.

The upcoming training session is the fifth to be being offered as part of a greater effort funded by a supplemental grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to broaden initiatives of the current Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant, administered by Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. To date, this initiative has focused on COVID-19 and Flu vaccine access, awareness, and acceptance, particularly in Savannah’s Black and Hispanic communities; but is broadening efforts to encompass health conditions that make people more vulnerable.

The CHA program has equipped more than 50 Chatham County residents to meet with those in their own communities to hear perspectives and experiences with vaccines and related concerns. This interaction is helping provide a more thorough understanding of current perceptions and offer feedback that could help shape public health interaction with people in priority communities.

“As we shift from a focus primarily on COVID and flu prevention, we’re opening up the conversation to talk with people we serve about other health challenges,” said Dr. Elsie Smalls, operations manager. “We are listening to what they have to say so we can help them respond and communicate within their communities with more agency, better access, preparation, and greater understanding about their own health.”

Since the program launched last summer, each CHA training class has followed an in-person listening session to hear about the experiences, perceptions and concerns related to access, awareness, and acceptance of the COVID vaccine.

Feedback from the most recent listening session held in January included the importance of telling one’s story. This inspired a workshop held in February, led by Savannah native and author Wanda Lloyd Healthy Savannah chairperson and local storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste. Entitled, “Listen. Speak. Advocate: Share Your Story for Health Equity,” the event emphasized the importance of sharing one’s health story, and of listening to the stories of others.

“If you can relate to the health inequities that Black and Hispanic Savannahians experience, you are invited to learn more and sign up for this training session,” said Smalls. “You don’t need to be a medical or health expert. If you have an interest in making your community or church a healthier place, you will be able to put this training to good use.”

To apply for the April 13 Community Health Advocate training program, or to learn more, please email Dr. Elsie Smalls at elsie@healthysavannah.org or call 843-323-9997.

ABOUT THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA/HEALTHY SAVANNAH GRANT FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH: In September 2018, Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia were awarded a five-year, $3.4 million grant called Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health. Awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the funding is being deployed in an “upstream” approach by the Savannah/Chatham County project team to foster sustainable health equity among Black residents in low-wealth neighborhoods. The aim of the local project, called Healthy Opportunities Powering Equity, or HOPE, is to increase the availability of high-quality nutrition; promote physical activity through creating greater access to safe places to walk, run, bike and play; and foster stronger connections between people and the healthcare providers who serve them. Working with more than 200 community partners and organizations, the team is committed to elevating the health and wellness of the community through policy, systems, and environmental change. In July 2022, Healthy Savannah received the CDC’s 2022 REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity Challenge. The award recognizes extraordinary individuals and entities whose work has contributed to advancing health equity.
healthysavannah.org ymcaofcoastalga.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Marjorie Young
Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc.
912.844.9990
www.carriagetradepr.com
marjorie@carriagetradepr.com

by Charice Stroud, Community Health Advocate

More than 1 million Americans have died of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Departments of Public Health report that nearly 34,000 of those deaths have occurred here in Georgia and nearly 1000 people have died from COVID in Chatham County.

Although COVID is now considered endemic, that simply means its presence is steady and somewhat predictable, like the seasonal flu. Both are serious illnesses that can lead to hospitalizations and death. The CDC estimates that there have been 9 to 41 million flu illnesses a year between 2010 and 2020 and about 5% to 20% of the U.S. population gets the flu every year.

That’s why, as we are on the doorstep of National Influenza Vaccination week Dec 6-12, I’d like to remind you there is still time to get a flu shot to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community.

This is also no time to become complacent about COVID, especially now that the flu season is in full swing, and the respiratory virus known as RSV is on the rise.

These diseases are impacting families and health outcomes in our community in many ways. The pandemic disrupted the ability for some to leave their home, eat more nutritious foods or get timely care for non-COVID medical conditions. Some people died sooner than they otherwise would have. Others continue to struggle with serious health issues, and that seems to be especially problematic in Savannah’s Black and Latinx communities.

During the bleakest days of the COVID pandemic, many of these communities lagged behind the general population in vaccine acceptance. People were skeptical of the vaccine’s safety, didn’t know how to get it, or were afraid of the potential cost.

That is why I decided to attend a “listening session” in the summer of 2021 that Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia developed utilizing a supplemental Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant from the CDC to provide a safe environment for Black and Hispanic Savannahians to voice their thoughts, concerns, and questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

I had just moved to Savannah and wanted to get involved somehow. So, I went to the meeting and talked about my COVID experience and listened to others. I learned that to communicate effectively, you have to listen to have a conversation. I also learned that there is a lot of mistrust in the Black community but it’s often based on a misunderstanding of the facts.

Take the Tuskegee Study, for example. I learned that the men in that study were not injected with syphilis.

The truth is that the medication that could have helped them recover from the disease they already had was withheld from them without their knowledge. If you understand what exactly happened to them and apply it to our current situation with COVID-19 and other vaccines, it can shift your perspective. In their case, a proven treatment was withheld, and they suffered terrible consequences. Now, if someone rejects a proven vaccine, they are withholding a potentially life-saving medication from saving their own life.

Afterward the listening session, the leaders asked if any of us would like to do more. Nineteen of us accepted the challenge, and after taking online training, we went into our neighborhoods to talk with and listen to other people and groups about the COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Ten of us completed the 15-hour volunteer service requirements to become the first graduates of Savannah’s Community Health Advocate program. I’m proud to stand with fellow trailblazers Taahirah Shakoor, Beatriz Severson, Norman Luten, Leslie Walker, Ramona Drayton-Jackson, Ervenia Bowers, Cassie Jenkins, Kim Jackson-Allen and Pat Edwards as the first, but not the last, to become a Community Health Advocate.

Since then, more than 50 Community Health Advocates, or CHAs, have completed the training course and many of us continue to work in the community. We listen and learn from our neighbors and friends and are equipping them with the facts that the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters are proven and safe. What’s better, they are free! They don’t cost anything, even if you’re uninsured. We also help people find a vaccination location near where they live.

We are additionally reminding folks that if they get an annual flu vaccine, they can increase their chances of staying well and staying out of the hospital. Flu season is peaking right now and will extend well into the new year.

There are still some who remain hesitant about the vaccine or have postponed routine health services because of COVID-19. Commonwealth Fund data tells us that premature deaths from treatable conditions like heart disease and diabetes rose between 2019 and 2020 and were particularly high in southern states including Georgia.

So, there is a lot of work still to be done. We want to encourage folks to start seeing their doctor again, to take advantage of free produce giveaway programs like the YMCA’s Fresh Express program or encourage their neighborhood markets to sign up for the Corner Store program that helps them stock fresh produce for their customers. Both the Corner Store and Fresh Express programs are supported by the REACH grant.

But we also know that COVID-19 vaccination rates are continuing to rise. In Chatham County, the rate for one dose rose from 8% in February 2021 to 64% in June 2022, to the current rate in November 2022 of 65%. According to the Georgia Department of Health, 59% of Chatham County residents are fully vaccinated, up 1% just in the past month, and 46% are vaccinated with an additional dose. Vaccination rates for the Black community are currently 52.4%, up from 51.8% in June 2022. For the Hispanic community, the rate is at 47%, up from 42.2% in June 2022.

According to the Commonwealth Fund, the COVID vaccine has prevented more than 2 million deaths across the nation and has saved more than $899 billion in healthcare costs. Without the vaccine, their data suggests there would have been another 17 million hospitalizations and 66 million additional infections. It also indicates that rates of preventable COVID-19 hospitalization and death were significantly higher in unvaccinated Americans than those of vaccinated Americans.

We’re sharing numbers like these with the people we speak with because knowledge is power and that’s a big part of staying healthy.

“I believe what the participants in the CHA program are doing is groundbreaking,” said Dr. Elsie Smalls, the program’s operations manager. “They are building the model for future Community Health Advocates to follow. They share their experiences, ideas and perspectives; we listen and together we develop some basic tools. They then go out into the community and make a difference.”

One of my CHA classmates, Pat Edwards, may have expressed what we do best. A social worker by trade, Pat utilizes her experience as executive director of Medbank, Inc, a prescription assistance organization, in her outreach. “You have to meet people where they are,” she said.  “When I talk to people, they know I care.”

Another fellow CHA, Ervenia Bowers, is working to remind her neighbors in West Savannah that getting ready for the holidays should include getting vaccinated.

“If you plan to be at large family gatherings, consider getting boosted and get your flu vaccine, too,” said Bowers. “This will provide comfort to you and to others.”

Although you don’t need any specific expertise to become a CHA, many of our volunteers do have medical training. Take Beatriz Severson, for example. She is a registered nurse with a background in behavioral health who moved from Miami to Savannah two years ago and saw an opportunity to reach out to Savannah’s Latinx community.

“I wanted to help ensure information about how the vaccine works was correctly translated into Spanish,” she said. “I wanted to help people better connect with providers and organizations.”

These days, it’s not uncommon to see CHAs setting up their tables and handing out giveaways and flyers at school events, flea markets, church festivals and health fairs. But you’ll also find we’re listening to concerns and talking one on one with neighbors, students, parents, caregivers and friends.

We are always looking for new folks to help us continue to grow the program, too. If you’re considering a career in public health or just looking to get involved in your community, we hope you’ll consider learning more about our program. One thing we can all do is get vaccinated and encourage our family and friends to get their vaccines, too.

A native of Decatur, Ga., Charice Stroud moved to Savannah from Indiana in April 2019 to be closer to friends and family. She works remotely as a customer service representative and has been active as a Community Health Advocate since attending the first training session offered in the fall of 2021.

Funded by a supplemental grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Community Health Advocate program was intended to broaden the initiatives of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant by increasing vaccine awareness and acceptance in communities at high risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19 or flu. In addition to the $500 stipend that is offered to those completing the program, the training provided helps participants sharpen leadership skills and increase knowledge about health advocacy. To learn more, email elsie@healthysavannah.org or call (843) 323-9997.

ABOUT THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA/HEALTHY SAVANNAH GRANT FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH: In September 2018, Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia were awarded a five-year, $3.4 million grant called Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health. Awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the funding is being deployed in an “upstream” approach by the Savannah/Chatham County project team to foster sustainable health equity among Black residents in low-wealth neighborhoods. The aim of the local project, called Healthy Opportunities Powering Equity, or HOPE, is to increase the availability of high-quality nutrition; promote physical activity through creating greater access to safe places to walk, run, bike and play; and foster stronger connections between people and the healthcare providers who serve them. Working with more than 200 community partners and organizations, the team is committed to elevating the health and wellness of the community through policy, systems, and environmental change.
healthysavannah.org ymcaofcoastalga.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Marjorie Young
Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc.
912.844.9990
www.carriagetradepr.com
marjorie@carriagetradepr.com

(SAVANNAH, GA) Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia are pleased to announce that 55 members of the community have been recognized for their work in promoting awareness and acceptance of the COVID and flu vaccines. The ceremony was held on November 12 at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship in Savannah.

Keynote speaker Lillian Grant-Baptiste, chair of Healthy Savannah, commended the participants of the Community Health Advocate (CHA) program for dedicating themselves through training and service to elevate their own understanding and awareness of vaccines and to help share that information with others.

One of the Community Health Advocates who went through the training program earlier this year said he was approached and encouraged by his cousin to become a CHA.

Issac Luten III had previously worked for many years as a director of infection control in hospitals and other settings. During that time, he saw how a lack of knowledge or misconception, fueled by fear, resulted in the unnecessary treatment of patients during the early days of HIV and AIDS in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He dedicated himself to showing compassion to those patients while also promoting proven infection control measures.

“I learned during training you don’t have to be a scientist to be an advocate, you just need to go into the community and speak of the importance of receiving the COVID vaccine and measures like mask-wearing to help reduce the pandemic,” Luten said. “Throughout most of my career, I was the first in line to get a vaccine. I had 5000 employees to convince that all of their vaccines should be up to date at all times in order to prevent the spread of infection to patients and visitors who came into our environment.”

Luten focuses now on meeting people where they are, from church and social group meetings to storefront grand openings and other events. He stresses the importance of being up-to-date on vaccines and that the vaccines are safe, with only one purpose.

“I know some young black males who wondered if the government was putting materials in the vaccine,” he said. “I explained there would certainly be more efficient ways for the government to do something to them than to get them to come in one by one like this.”

Charice Stroud, who has volunteered for more than a year as a CHA, was also recognized for her service.

“My most memorable moment as a CHA was seeing a local church reopen the doors to their sanctuary,” she said. “I could physically see how happy people were to see and embrace one another.”

But she has also seen the need in her volunteer work to remind people that, like the flu, COVID isn’t going away and vaccinations and boosters are an important part of staying healthy.

“I do see that people are becoming more complacent as life returns to how it was pre-pandemic,” she said. “COVID stats and stories are no longer headline news but as we ease back into normal life it is more important than ever to keep up with booster shots.”

Funded by a supplemental grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Community Health Advocate program is intended to broaden the initiatives of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant by increasing vaccine awareness and acceptance in communities at high risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19 or flu.

Healthy Savannah and the Y organized the CHA program in 2021 after holding a series of listening sessions to hear from the community about perceptions of vaccine concerns. Those participants were asked if they would like to do more. Eighteen of them took the first online training course last fall, then went into their communities to talk with and listen to other individuals and groups about both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Participants trained in two subsequent cohorts are now also working in the community and a fourth cohort of 35 participants completed training on November 10, 2022.

Recognitions during the ceremony included presenting certificates of training to those present of the 21 people who completed the training during the first three cohorts. Certifications of excellence were also awarded to those present of the 34 participants who completed all of the requirements of the program and who are largely still actively working in the community. Certificates were mailed to those who could not attend.

Those who completed the community engagement activities are: (Cohort #1, October 2021) Taahirah Shakoor, Pat Edwards, Beatriz Severson, Norman Luten Jr., Kim Jackson-Allen, Leslie Walker, Charice Stroud, Jerome Irwin Jr., Ervenia Bowers, Cassie Jenkins, (Cohort #2, March 2022), Bridget Morrison, Cameron Morrison, Christie Orta, Dona Williams, Ianthia Davis, Ike (Isaac) Luten, Julie Claxton, Melanie Wright, Melissa Bolechala, Nicole (Yolanda) Moore, Cohort #3, July 2022), Salathiel Deloach, Eva Alas, Tonni Wellington, Lufecia Martin, Brittany Brown, Kevina Patterson, Amber Kestler, Natusssha Futch, Rhonda Ancrum, Gail Burton, Jessica Harvey, Kamura Davis, Sebrina Brown, Pamela Hurst.

ABOUT THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA/HEALTHY SAVANNAH GRANT FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH: In September 2018, Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia were awarded a five-year, $3.4 million grant called Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health. Awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the funding is being deployed in an “upstream” approach by the Savannah/Chatham County project team to foster sustainable health equity among Black residents in low-wealth neighborhoods. The aim of the local project, called Healthy Opportunities Powering Equity, or HOPE, is to increase the availability of high-quality nutrition; promote physical activity through creating greater access to safe places to walk, run, bike and play; and foster stronger connections between people and the healthcare providers who serve them. Working with more than 200 community partners and organizations, the team is committed to elevating the health and wellness of the community through policy, systems, and environmental change. In July 2022, Healthy Savannah received the CDC’s 2022 REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity Challenge. The award recognizes extraordinary individuals and entities whose work has contributed to advancing health equity.
healthysavannah.org ymcaofcoastalga.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Marjorie Young
Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc.
912.844.9990
www.carriagetradepr.com
marjorie@carriagetradepr.com