Series emphasizes health benefits of the vaccine, addresses COVID-19’s impact on the Black community and shows how the vaccine is not only safe, but also Simple, Accessible, Free and Easy
For Immediate Release: April 19, 2021
For more information contact:
Kelly Cannon
Kelly.Cannon@BlueKC.com
O: 816-395-3711
M: 816-686-3842
KANSAS CITY, MO. (April 19, 2021)—What happens when you bring together a group of trusted community leaders to not only separate fact from fiction regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, but also provide a voice for the Black community that has been hit hard by the pandemic? Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) has pulled it off with positive, reassuring results, just as all American adults have now become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Including experienced moderators Cynthia Newsome of 41 Action News and Julee Jonez from KPRS Hot 103 Jamz, and panelists such as Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Bobby Bell and Dr. Toni Zink from the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, the COVID-19 Vaccine S.A.F.E. Series emphasizes the health benefits and importance of receiving the vaccine. Five factual, educational interviews at the heart of the new SA.F.E. series show how and why the COVID-19 vaccine is not only safe, but also Simple, Accessible, Free and Easy.
The series, released on The Blue KC Channel on YouTube beginning April 19, 2021, promoted through Blue KC social media platforms and shared via Blue KC Community Partner social networks, addresses COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the Black community and includes a discussion from trusted voices about their personal vaccine experience, myths, latest developments and how to get the vaccine.
Series Release Dates:
Monday, April 19
- Moderator: Julee Jonez, KPRS Hot 103 Jamz Radio Personality
- Panelist: Dr. Toni Zink, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
- Panelist: Keanon Swan, Epidemiologist and Vaccine Coordinator, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
- Topics include: Why the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and important for herd immunity.
Wednesday, April 21
- Moderator: Cynthia Newsome, Anchor, 41 Action News Midday
- Panelist: Bobby Bell, Kansas City Chiefs/Pro Football Hall of Fame Member
- Panelist: Wesley Hamilton, Founder and CEO, The Disabled But Not Really Foundation
- Topics include: Why they are on a mission to promote the COVID-19 vaccine.
Monday, April 26
- Moderator: Julee Jonez, KPRS Hot 103 Jamz Radio Personality
- Panelist: Dr. Toni Zink, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
- Topics include: Debunk myths associated with the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Wednesday, April 28
- Moderator: Nicole Jacobs Silvey, President and Founder, Connection Coach KC
- Panelist: Melissa Robinson, President, Black Health Care Coalition, 3rd District Councilwoman, Kansas City, MO
- Panelist: Rev. Eric Williams, Founder and CEO, Calvary Community Outreach Network
- Topics include: The importance of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep people healthy and save lives, especially in the Black community.
Monday, May 3
- Moderator: Justin McCoy, Customer Experience Manager, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
- Panelist: Dr. Rex Archer, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Kansas City, MO Health Department
- Topics include: How to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage services to more than one million residents in the greater Kansas City area, including Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and 30 counties in Northwest Missouri. Our mission: to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health of our members. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information on the company, visit its website at BlueKC.com.
