Sometimes people distrust the medical system because historically, Black people have been treated unequally. As an African American woman and a medical doctor, I understand where this is coming from. But I also see day to day the disproportionate impact that this pandemic has on my Black and Brown patients and how critically important it is for communities of color to receive this vaccine. The simple reality is that it will save lives.

In the infamous Tuskegee Study conducted from 1932 to 1973, the U.S. Public Health Service experimented on hundreds of Black men. The Black men were told that they were being examined for "bad blood," but the study actually examined what happens if syphilis isn't treated. Black men suffered and died because treatment for syphilis was withheld without their knowledge or consent.

Henrietta Lacks was a Black cancer patient. A research team in 1951 took her cells without her permission. Multiple lines of her cells – called HeLa cells – are still used today in research. Although her cells have helped many people, saved many lives and are worth a lot of money, her family has never been compensated.

Recently, Black doctor Susan Moore, MD, posted a video she took in the Emergency Department. She is lying on a hospital gurney, uncomfortable, gasping for breath and asking for help. Doctors, hospital staff and administration minimized her symptoms and resisted giving her appropriate treatment. She later died of COVID-19.

These are examples of the ways that pervasive racism, ingrained in our medical system throughout history, have hurt Black lives. Current data shows that racial inequalities in health care remain widespread, resulting in a range of disproportionate negative health outcomes for African American and Latino patients. This effect on people of color has been painfully demonstrated during this pandemic. Black Americans have disproportionately suffered, been hospitalized and died due to COVID-19.

The hope to end this pandemic is safe, effective vaccination. But people need to get the vaccine for it to work! My heart breaks when I think Black people, who most need and deserve this life-saving vaccine, may not trust the medical system and are afraid to get the vaccine.

This is not only a professional plea but also a personal one. I am Black. I grew up in Omaha. I have asthma. I am a single mom of young children. I am a medical doctor who cares for patients in North Omaha and are hospitalized at Nebraska Medical Center. I have dedicated my career to underserved patients, and it has been heartbreaking to see the disproportionate impact that this virus has had in our communities of color. It's painful when I think about my African American brothers and sisters who most need and deserve this life-saving vaccine but who hesitate. I felt blessed and grateful to get the vaccine. Although I got a bruise, a sore arm and felt tired for a few days, the side effects were small compared to the benefit of protecting myself, my family, my co-workers, my patients and my community. I am hopeful and excited to imagine what our lives might be like when most people are vaccinated.

I have confidence in this vaccine for our community. I want my patients to talk through their thoughts or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine openly with me. 

You will have an opportunity to get the vaccine. Knowing the facts can help you make the right choice for you. Let's each do our part to change medical history and end this pandemic.