Even if the pandemic caused delayed doctors’ appointments, summertime offers an ideal opportunity to catch up on them, while also staying protected against diseases which are vaccine-preventable.
Actress, author and entrepreneur Gabrielle Union-Wade has been sending this message to parents, through a fun-spirited public health campaign called “Don’t Skip.” Scheduling regular doctors visits for their children, and staying up to date on all CDC-recommended vaccines for youth, is at the heart of the matter.
The national public health campaign involves the nonprofit, Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) – which “has been working for three decades to help protect people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases,” according to a press release. In collaboration with Merck, embracing routine health care is encouraged. The public health campaign features Union-Wade and her family, down to two-and-a-half-year-old Kaavia James Union Wade.
“Make contact with your doctors, figure out your status and if you’ve fallen behind on any of those doctor-recommended vaccines or those wellness visits, and just get up to date before… the kids are going back to school,” Union-Wade told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Union-Wade also mentioned making provider appointments before the back-to-school rush, during the interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE. Asking doctors about what they are doing to keep patients safe during visits is
something to keep in mind if it will help face fears associated with attending in-person medical appointments during the pandemic. Union-Wade also reminded that even if people moved or lost a job during these unprecedented times, low-cost or free health care facilities which ensure access to doctor-recommended vaccines are available.Not skipping recommended child vaccinations is an important one that Union-Wade is passionate about addressing. She wanted to involve her whole family, because a decline in people keeping up with recommended vaccines and wellness visits was a bigger issue than what they had thought.
“Health and wellness is a huge issue for us, and we all have big platforms. And if we can use our platforms to talk about, you know, fashion and new movies coming out, and this, that and the other, we can also use our platforms… for the greater good,” Union-Wade told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
More public service announcements will roll out over the next few months. Learn more about “Don’t Skip” by clicking here.