KENTUCKY — A new public service campaign hopes to encourage Black Kentuckians to get vaccinated. The campaign, titled "I Got The Shot to Protect the Ones I Love," features Black Kentuckians who address and respond to potential concerns emanating from racism in the health care system.

"Black Kentuckians who are hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine often have the same questions as their white counterparts," said a release. "But many have additional concerns that may emanate from their experiences with racism in the health care system and a history in America of unethical medical experiments on Black populations."

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) launched the campaign on Thursday. Included in the campaign are digital assets such as two videos and accompanying graphics that will run on Facebook, Instagram, and iHeart Media in Hopkinsville, Lexington, and Louisville, all of which are home to a high proportion of Black residents.

"I thought the vaccine happened too quickly, and I wondered how that could be trusted," said Debra Brown, a COVID-19 investigator who appears in the campaign. "But then, I realized that this type of vaccine had been researched for years. It was tested on tens of thousands of people, including Black and Brown people, and they did not skip any steps in the approval process. I figured I was more scared of COVID[-19], not the vaccine. I don’t want to get really sick. That’s when I knew, if I get the vaccine, I can help prevent that. So, I got the shot."

The campaign features several voices, including those of Tom Bell, an insurance agent from Hopkinsville, and Bobbie Lester, a Louisville school nurse. Both emphasized protecting loved ones from the virus.

"As people of color, we are getting sick – and we're dying more than others," Bell said. "COVID[-19] has touched people close to me, near and dear to my heart. I’ve seen them put on ventilators. I know people who have coded three times. I take it very seriously."

"I took the shot to protect my grandbabies, my students, and my family … and I felt fine. I hope my family and friends will do the same to protect me," Lester added.

The foundation and KNA also announced they are working with community leaders in Kentucky to share the campaign materials with as many organizations as possible, free of charge.

"Getting the vaccine helps us protect our families, our friends, and our communities from the virus, and that's critical to getting back to our lives in Kentucky," said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation. "But if, in your experience, medical care hasn't always proven to be helpful to you and your loved ones, you're naturally going to have concerns about these vaccines. Health advocates can't just brush these concerns aside. People need answers. The spokespersons in this campaign are trusted messengers in their communities who are helping to provide those answers."

“The Kentucky Nurses Association is proud to partner on this campaign with the Foundation, which listened with an open heart and mind to the concerns of Black Kentuckians,” said Delanor Manson, MA, BSN, RN, CEO of KNA. “Our hope is that additional nurses and community leaders throughout the Commonwealth will share campaign materials and add their own expert testimonials about the importance of protecting ourselves and the ones we love by getting vaccinated.”

While developing the campaign, the foundation and KNA worked with an advisory committee of Black community leaders, including Foundation Board Chair Vivian Lasley-Bibbs, MPH.

"In stopping this pandemic we have to use all the tools we have available," said Lasley-Bibbs, who also is director of the Kentucky Department for Public Health Office of Health Equity. "The vaccine is one of those tools. I got the shot to protect the ones I love because I cherish my circle of family and friends, but I want those same people to think of how they can best protect me and that’s by getting the vaccine."

Campaign materials are available for free download and use online. The materials include video testimonials, social media graphics, a suggested newsletter article, and a Facts and Resources document about the campaign. Organizations that would like to use these materials and add their own logos may reach out to Alexa Kerley at akerley@healthy-ky.org.