Dr. Ala Stanford administers a COVID-19 swab test on Wade Jeffries in the parking lot of Pinn Memorial Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Stanford and other doctors formed the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to offer testing and help address heath disparities in the African American community.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Dr. Ala Stanford administers a COVID-19 swab test on Wade Jeffries in the parking lot of Pinn Memorial Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Stanford and other doctors formed the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to offer testing and help address heath disparities in the African American community.
Airdate: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
That warning was sounded in Pennsylvania early in the pandemic, but data was not readily available through the Department of Health reporting system to make a conclusion. When the data was eventually reported, it confirmed that Black Pennsylvanians were disproportionately impacted, but because of some missing racial data, there were still no conclusions reached as to why it was occurring.
Now that vaccinations are underway, the Pennsylvania Department of Health is facing the same challenge to accurately report who is and is not receiving the vaccine.
Spotlight PA reported on the missing data and appearing on Smart Talk Wednesday to draw attention to the issue are reporters Jamie Martines and Eseosa Olumhense.
More than twenty years later, Elsheikh is in a very different place both literally and figuratively. Hagir Elsheikh joins Smart Talk Wednesday to share her personal journey to Central Pennsylvania and her transition to business owner and community advocate.
