CLEVELAND — Health officials continue to urge people to get the COVID-19 vaccination and booster to help protect themselves from serious illness, but some health officials said vaccination rates in the Black community are lower than in others.

What You Need To Know

  • Guardians Cleveland is a nonprofit organization that helps people in the Black community get vaccinated

  • The organization helps with scheduling appointments and transportation if needed

  • The organization focuses on raising awareness of the vaccine through familiar faces within the community

Kimberly Fields is a volunteer for Guardians Cleveland, a nonprofit organization that helps educate members of the Black community about the coronavirus vaccine. For Fields herself, it took a message from her pastor to convince her to get her shot.

"I'm going to be honest, I was not going to get vaccinated. I honestly was not getting vaccinated," said Fields. "And so my pastor of a church in the neighborhood, he said, 'Well you know, I'm not trying to sway anyone on getting vaccinated,' he said, 'but I want to share with you it's not the vaccination that's killing people, it's the virus.' And I thought, 'huh that's pretty thought-provoking."

That's why Fields said she is passionate about helping others get vaccinated.

The Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner said vaccine rates are lower in the Black community because of a common lack of trust in medicine. Fields said building trust in the community is one approach her organization takes.

"We found it most effective to have someone whose been, you know, in the neighborhood," said Fields. "Actively engaged, saying, 'Hey, I have taken this vaccination and I'm still here. You know, here are some of the side effects I've experienced. Here are some of the side effects I have not experienced. Hey, how can I get you comfortable with getting vaccinated.'"

According to the Ohio Department of Health's COVID-19 vaccine dashboard, 56% of those eligible for the vaccine in Ohio have gotten the shots. The vaccination rate for Blacks in Ohio is 46%.

Fields said the community is responding well to seeing people they recognize and know advocate for the vaccine and that has lead to people getting their shots.

"The billboards, people are like, 'Oh my God, I saw so and so on the billboard. That's my church member' or 'Hey that's my neighbor' and even for me even some of my previous employers have reached out to me and said, 'Hey Kim, can you do a session with our staff for those who are uncomfortable getting vaccinated," said Fields.