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Faith leaders on the West Side are being encouraged to get trained on how to stop someone from having an overdose. At the monthly meeting of the 15th Police District’s faith-based leaders, attendees also were urged to complete training offered by the Chicago chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
During a virtual press conference held Sunday, Congressman Danny Davis, city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Alds. Emma Mitts (37th) and Jason Ervin (28th), and Cook County Commissioners Dennis Deer and Donna Miller said it’s imperative African Americans be willing to get the two-dose vaccine. Davis was among the first to get vaccinated earlier this month.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford shares this information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the COVID-19 vaccines are given to healthcare personnel and nursing home residents. Essential workers and those 75 years and older will be able to get the shots next.
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in Chicago were given at The Loretto Hospital Tuesday morning. Mayor Lightfoot hailed it as a milestone, but officials caution Chicago isn’t out of the woods yet. Also this week, Loretto announced it will be launching a coronavirus vaccine trial with a focus on minority populations. To learn more, tune in early next month to a virtual town hall the hospital will be holding.
If two key federal agencies approve the vaccines in coming days, as expected, Chicago would receive its first doses of Pfizer’s vaccine as early as next week and Moderna’s the week after, a local health official told members of the Leaders Network. Members of the group asked what the city is doing to build confidence and trust among the African American community to take the vaccine. Chicago health officials are reaching out to community ambassadors, partners and organizations, incudling churches on the West Side, to help educate residents and encourage them to get vaccinated.
Many in the African American and Latinx communities remain wary of immunization and the medical establishment at large, writes state Rep. La Shawn Ford. That’s why “we have to make sure that people trust the vaccine will work, and we need to do everything that we can to bring an understanding to our community about how important it is to take the vaccine and to be able to trust it,” Ford says.
A few dozen people stopped by “No Shave November,” which was held earlier this month at AJ Styles Beauty & Barber Salon, 6624 W. North Ave. See who stopped by to get a haircut and share in some fellowship.
City health officials are advising that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot this year. The Chicago Department of Public Health has relaunched the Chicago Flu Vaccine Finder, a web-based app that shows where you can get a flu shot. In Austin residents can go to one of two Walgreens, one at 5222 W. Madison St. and the other at 1546 N. Central Ave.
A “no shave” in November event will bring men together to talk about their health while raising awareness about cancer. Stop by AJ Styles Beauty & Barber Salon, 6624 W. North Ave., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 22. Also this month, uninsured and underinsured Austin residents can get a free prostate screening at Loretto Hospital.
The Loretto Hospital is offering free prostate cancer screenings for uninsured or underinsured men living in Austin and surrounding communities throughout the month. For more information or to schedule a screening, call (833) TLH-LOVE.