Videos

Dr. Jacqueise Unonu, a pharmacist at the Howard University College of Pharmacy, discusses her conversations with patients have questions and concerns about the COVID vaccines. “I want to listen to what they have to say. I want to listen to why they’re hesitant, what are the barriers to receiving the vaccine, and address those concerns,” she says. “Just giving information is very, very powerful.”

Dr. Malaika Turner, a pharmacist at the Howard University College of Pharmacy, says she got the vaccine “not so much for myself but my family,” so she can have dinner with father regularly. “The weight being lifted is unbelievable,” she said. In her practice, strives to empower her patients to be proactive information seekers. “It’s a decision they have to make on their own time,” she says.

Dr. Estela Lajthia, a pharmacist at the Howard University College of Pharmacy, says her role is to be a credible, trustworthy broker of vaccine information. “At the end of the day, you want them to feel comfortable,” she says, even if it means they need more time to think about their decision.

Dr. Samir Balile, a pharmacist in Washington, DC, with Giant supermarkets, says the easy accessibility of his pharmacy to local residents gives him the opportunity to not only be a vaccine expert for his patients, but to listen closely to their concerns. “It’s a very natural trait that community pharmacists possess, he says.

Dr. Kristin Watson, a pharmacist at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, talks about the questions her patients have about the COVID vaccine, particularly their safety for pregnant women. “If I was pregnant, I would be very comfortable getting the vaccine,” she says.

Dr. Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, a pharmacist at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, discusses the unique impact of the pandemic on the Latinx community, and the benefits of the vaccines for that community.

Dr. Cherokee Layson-Wolf, a pharmacist at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, describes the vaccination clinics that she helps to manage, and her work with special populations and the Native American community in the Baltimore area. She says that when her patients ask her about the vaccines, she tells them, “This is a vaccine that I trust.”

Brian Hose administers the COVID-19 vaccines from his community pharmacy in rural Sharpsburg, MD (Population: 784). When patients ask about the vaccine, he said, respecting your relationships with your patients is key: “You just have to listen. You can’t try to dictate the conversation. You have it let it go at their pace.”

Homebound Vaccinations, Amelia Pharmacy, Amelia, VA

Dr. Rebecca Dell Brown, a community pharmacist in rural Virginia, visits and vaccinates patients who cannot leave their homes: “Every shot counts. If they can’t come to us, then we’re going to take it on road to them.”

Dr. Rebecca Dell Brown, Pharmacist, Amelia Pharmacy, Amelia, VA (personal story)

Dr. Rebecca Dell Brown, a community pharmacist in rural Virginia, is a current cancer patient who got the COVID vaccine early to protect herself, her family and her patients. She said she got vaccinated first and did well with it, so “it alleviated the fear and panic that a lot of my community had.”

Dr. Rebecca Dell Brown, Pharmacist, Amelia Pharmacy, Amelia, VA (car vaccinations - "We Can Do This")

Dr. Rebecca Dell Brown, a community pharmacist in rural Amelia, VA (Population: 1,064), vaccinates her patients while they sit in their car in the parking lot behind her pharmacy. “We’re a rural community, very religious-based, good people,” she said. “Do it for your grandkids, do it for your grandma, do it for your wife,” she said. “We can do this.”

Rhonda Jones, Pharmacy Technician, Amelia Pharmacy, Amelia, VA

Rhonda Jones, a pharmacy technician and a minister in a faith-based ministry in rural Virginia, suffered and recovered from COVID in December 2020. She got vaccinated as soon as she could, and she strongly recommends the vaccine to her patients “so they won’t go through what I went through.”

Dr. Vivian Ayuk, Pharmacist, FlexCare Pharmacy, Washington, DC

Dr. Vivian Ayuk vaccinates community residents from her pharmacy in southeast Washington, DC, because it’s “the best chance we’ve got at returning to a normal life.” Dr. Ayuk’s husband suffered from COVID last year, and when the vaccines were available, “we jumped at it.” When her patients ask her about the vaccines, “I’m honest with them, so they can make a decision, based on the facts.”

Dr. Damika Walker, Pharmacist, Grubb's Pharmacy, Washington, DC ("A Patient Who Came Back")

Dr. Damika Walker, a community pharmacist in Washington, DC, talks about the patient who initially decided not to get vaccinated, but after thinking about their conversation, returned the next day to be vaccinated – and brought her sister and her boyfriend to be vaccinated, too. “My job is to leave the door open and not force it on anyone,” she said.

Dr. Damika Walker, Pharmacist, Grubb's Pharmacy, Washington, DC ("Two Patients")

Watch as Dr. Damika Walker, a pharmacist at an independent pharmacy in a Washington, DC, neighborhood, vaccinates residents at her pharmacy’s sidewalk clinic. “My job is to provide the information, so they can make the best choice for themselves,” she said.

Dr. Tamara McCants, Howard University School of Pharmacy, Washington, DC

Dr. Tamara McCants, a clinical pharmacist in Washington DC, says people have deep-rooted reasons for not wanting to get the vaccine, so a single conversation probably won’t change their mind. But if they have more conversations with their relatives, watch them get the vaccinated and “be totally fine,” they’re more comfortable getting the vaccine themselves, she says.

La Dra. Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, farmacéutica en la Facultad de Farmacia de la Universidad de Maryland, comenta el impacto singular de la pandemia sobre la comunidad latina y los beneficios de las vacunas para esta comunidad.

At a church serving a Latinx community in Wheaton, MD, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from a nearby supermarket vaccinate community members who were recruited by the pastor, Rev. Diana Wingeler-Rayo. Pastora Diana talks about how her community’s confidence in the vaccines grew because they trust her endorsement, and because they felt more comfortable being vaccinated in a familiar location - the church where they worship.

En una iglesia que brinda servicios a una comunidad de latinos y latinas en Wheaton, MD, los farmacéuticos y técnicos en farmacia de un supermercado cercano vacunan a los miembros de la comunidad que fueron reclutados por la pastora, Rev. Diana Wingeler-Rayo. La pastora Diana cuenta cómo aumentó la confianza de su comunidad en las vacunas gracias a su respaldo y a la confianza que la comunidad deposita en ella, y por qué se sienten más cómodos de vacunarse en un sitio que les resulta familiar; es decir, la iglesia en donde practican su fe.

Student pharmacists and faculty from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy talk to local residents visiting a COVID vaccination clinic in Columbia, SC, during an outdoor festival celebrating Juneteenth. Pharmacist Julie Justo emphasizes the need to listen to concerns before making any recommendations. (From WIS-TV News, Columbia SC)