Decision-Making and the COVID-19 Vaccine

It has been a year since the first COVID-19 case was official in the United States. The virus was declared a pandemic not long after, and since then the US alone has lost over 420,000 people: relatives, friends, with many more infected, some with lingering illness.  During this pandemic, many people lost jobs and lost wages. 

And we have seen hope: ribbon mask making, healing going virtual, and now elders getting vaccinated and posting it to social media. There is a desire to help protect our communities but there are also concerns when it comes to the vaccine. There is trauma and health disparities, health justice issues and mistrust that creates conflict.

So how can we move forward and keep ourselves and our relatives as healthy as possible and protect one another from COVID, while addressing those matters?

We approach this subject with those topics in mind to help you approach the subject of COVID vaccines even more thoroughly.

On this program, we speak with Dr. Antony Stately (Ojibwe and Oneida) has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is the CEO of NACC, the Native American Community Clinic in South Minneapolis.

We hear from Dr. Mary Owen, MD (Tlingit) is the President of the Association of American Indian Physicians, and she’s also the Director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, on the Duluth campus.

Briana Michels (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is part of the American Indian Resource and Resiliency team at the University of Minnesota Extension, which holds workshops on trauma and healing, shares her insights.  Briana Michels works on the Remembering Resilience podcast which explores Native American resilience through and beyond trauma. 

And we get helpful information from Kelly Miller (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is Director of the Department of Indian Work at Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul and one of the Minnesota Department of Health’s COVID-19 Community Coordinators.

Hosted by Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Cole Premo (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe)

This program was made possible by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and is a co-production of TPT | NOW and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities.