‘The Lion’s Den’: A Shot of Prevention Celebrating National Immunization Awareness Month
“The Lion’s Den,” a webinar series from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, recently featured Cedars-Sinai pediatricians Arthur Cho, MD, and Kyle Monk, MD, discussing childhood immunizations and efforts to make them more accessible.
Cho, medical director of Cedars-Sinai’s COACH for Kids—a mobile pediatrics clinic that offers free primary care services to patients from historically marginalized groups—told “The Lion’s Den” moderator Ashanti Carter that it’s critical for children to be up to date on recommended immunizations.
“It’s simple,” Cho said. “Get vaccinated. A lot of the childhood illnesses that we saw in big numbers and causing lots of harm—and even children dying—we don’t see anymore. And, so, there’s a sort of false sense of security that these diseases have gone away.”
Monk told Carter myths, misinformation and cultural or generational medical mistrust have caused vaccine fear.
“I try to level with my patients,” she said, noting that Cedars-Sinai providers ensure “we are meeting people where they are culturally. We’re just doing our best to explain things to the everyday people, like what is our experience with vaccination and why is it important.”
Cho told Carter about one example of the repercussions of vaccine hesitancy: Up to 200 children die from the flu annually, and the vast majority of them did not receive their recommended flu vaccinations. He encouraged everyone who is eligible to get this year’s flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
“There is no 100% effective vaccine, but partial protection could be the difference between life and death, as well as preventing severe illness and avoidable hospitalizations, and that is important enough for us to be able to educate and encourage families to get it,” he said, adding, “we’re doing it not just for ourselves, but we’re doing it for people around us.”
Cedars-Sinai supports Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science by providing training for its medical students and residents, and through multiple grants that support the university's Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence and its work to expand and increase access to quality care for Black birthing families.
Click here to watch the entire webinar from “The Lion’s Den.”