Ohio’s COVID-19 town halls on vaccines set

Ohio’s COVID-19 town halls on vaccines set

Town Halls will be live streamed online and available on public access television

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will launch a series of COVID-19 Vaccine Town Halls for several specific communities to ensure all Ohioans have access to information needed to make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines.

“It is important to share reliable, factual information about COVID-19 vaccines with all Ohioans. These vaccines are safe and effective. There are many myths about vaccines and about the COVID-19 vaccine, in particular. Having questions answered with credible information can impact whether someone chooses to get the vaccine. We are excited to provide accurate and reliable information from trusted sources,” said ODH Director Stephanie McCloud.

The Town Halls are designed to separate fact from fiction about the COVID-19 vaccines. Although each town hall is targeted to specific populations, they are open to anyone. Each event will feature panelists including medical experts, faith leaders, public health professionals, and community leaders from the target population represented on that Town Hall. They will be livestreamed on ODH’s Facebook and YouTube channels and at coronavirus.ohio.gov/townhall on the following dates and times:

Monday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. – African-American Ohioans
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. – Hispanic/Latino Ohioans
Monday, March 1, 6:30 p.m. – Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Ohioans
Tuesday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. – Rural Ohioans

To accommodate those Ohioans without internet access, the Town Halls will air at future times on public access television on the Ohio Channel. Ohioans can find their local channel by checking with their PBS station or television provider. Dates and times to watch include:

Saturday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for African-Americans
Saturday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Hispanic/Latino Americans
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for African-Americans
Sunday, Feb. 28, 3 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Hispanic/Latino Americans
Saturday, March 6, 6 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Ohioans
Saturday, March 6, 7 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Rural Ohioans
Sunday, March 7, 2 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Ohioans
Sunday, March 7, 3 p.m. – Ohio COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall for Rural Ohioans

“As we strive toward health equity in our state, all Ohioans need accurate information about and access to COVID-19 vaccine. We are pleased to make vaccine more accessible by distributing it to every county in Ohio, supporting bilingual vaccination pop-up sites in underserved neighborhoods, recruiting vaccine providers in highly vulnerable areas, and planning a COVID-19 vaccine webpage specifically addressing equity,” said McCloud.