The Pine Belt: This Is Our Shot vaccination education campaign held their first community event on Oct. 16 at Town Square Park in downtown Hattiesburg. At the event, Conx Care ran a free COVID-19 vaccination and Telehealth clinic. Community leaders and volunteers with Vaccination Equity Initative (VEI) Mississippi also hosted an informational drive to answer questions about the vaccine and address common myths circulating in online misinformation.
Mary Hossley, a retired RN with the local NAACP and former USM instructor, now serves on the VEI board and volunteers as a community education leader. She said that she’s found herself in “active retirement” since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and that VEI was a natural extension of the work she was already doing as a volunteer with community vaccination pop-ups.
As a grassroots campaign aiming to reach populations resisting vaccination because of misinformation and general distrust of the scientific, medical or political communities, VEI Chairman Michael Marks said that local community leaders like Hossley are “critical to making a difference.”
“The biggest challenge I’ve encountered, and I’ve encountered a lot of them, is the trustworthiness,” Hossley said. “When I see people look into my eyes and I look into their eyes, especially our African American young men, it’s the fear that I see in their eyes.”
She said that the African American community, in particular, has a long history of distrust with the American medical community because of experiments like the Tuskegee Study. She said that she has also heard a lot of conspiracy theories and misinformation from social media.
“They know they need something. They know they need help or healing to avoid this deadly virus, but they are afraid, so they don’t trust. That’s why we get out to the community, boots on the ground knocking on doors. We don’t force them We can’t. We just want to get the correct information out and answer any questions they may have.”
VEI is also closely coordinating with Dr. Thad Waits at Hattiesburg Clinic, Dr. Thomas Dobbs at the MS Department of Health and Dr. David C. Rhew at Healthcare for Microsoft to provide the most up-to-date information as possible.
“In August and September, the Mississippi citizens who were ill with COVID were 30 times more likely to be unvaccinated than vaccinated,” Waits said. “Eighty seven percent of those hospitalized were unvaccinated and 87% of those who died were unvaccinated. It is vital that Pine Belt residents have access to accurate, non-partisan information in order to make the best decisions for themselves, their families and their community.”
Marks said that he is excited for the state and national support, but he’s most excited for the community buy-in and local volunteers.
“People want to look you in the eye and know that you care about them,” he said. “So, that's why on our advisory council, we have employed preachers, teachers, barbers and beauticians. Everybody sees them and everybody trusts their preacher, everybody trusts their teachers, everybody trusts their barbers and beauticians. I’m just so pleased that we have all kinds of people volunteering to help.”
To help fund the campaign, the Pinebelt Foundation set up a fund where supporters could make tax-deductible contributions. The project is currently funded in part by the Institute for Advancement of Minority Health, Lamar County Supervisors, Forrest County Supervisors, The First, and the Mississippi NAACP.
“We got to keep pushing,” Hossley said. “We can’t give up until the last shot goes in the last arm because people are still dying. I get teary eyed just thinking about it. I see the fear in their eyes, and I know there is work to be done.”
For more information on the campaign, visit the website thisisourshot.ms or email Michael Marks at info@thisisourshot.ms to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
