By Quinci LeGarye | California Black Media

This Women’s History Month, California Black Media is profiling three Black women on the leading edge of California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris, California Gov Operations Secretary Yolanda Richardson and Kimberly Goode, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Blue Shield of California. The profiles explore how these exceptional women have brought their experience, knowledge and leadership abilities to driving California’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. It also looks at the challenges they have faced, the successes they have won and how they balance the rigors of their public roles with the responsibilities of their private lives.

Profile: Nadine Burke Harris, the Equity Advocate

Nadine Burke Harris is California’s first Surgeon General, a role that consists of a number of high-level internal governmental obligations as well as a significant amount of public-facing responsibility. In addition to advising the governor on health matters, she is also the state’s “public health spokesperson,” Burke Harris told California Black Media.

“Probably the biggest part of my job is that I translate science into information that people can use to help keep themselves healthy. That’s probably my favorite part of the job,” she says.

When asked what her biggest success has been regarding California’s pandemic-related public-health efforts, Burke-Harris focused on the state’s equity measures. They include equity metrics within the state’s reopening blueprints for counties as well as an equity strategy within COVID-19 vaccine allocation that reserves 40 % of vaccines for socio-economically disadvantaged communities. She also mentioned her role as co-chair of the Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, which is part of the process of determining how California allocates and distributes its vaccines.

“I think our reopening blueprint really demonstrates how seriously California is taking the issue of equity because our whole notion is that we recognize that this pandemic is disproportionately hard on Black communities, and we really want to make sure that when we are reopening that we are doing an equitable reopening,” said Burke-Harris.

Prior to becoming California’s Surgeon General, Burke-Harris treated children as a pediatrician. She is the founder of the Center for Youth Wellness in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco. In her decade and a half working in the community, Burke-Harris saw how certain equity and accessibility issues would impact her patients’ ability to receive care

Burke-Harris says, “There are a lot of little things that you realize. For example, I was just on a conversation where we were talking about how close a vaccine site has to be in order to be considered accessible. One of the things that I highlighted is that I live in San Francisco, and I

have a car, so for me, something that’s five miles away is perfectly acceptable. But for the patients that I cared for, I had the experience of seeing how hard it is for someone who’s got two or three kids to take three buses across town to get where they have to go. Five miles away may not be accessible. That has certainly informed my role in the state and how I advise the governor.”

In addition to her work on the COVID-19 response, Burke-Harris has also continued her previous work on raising awareness about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how toxic stress affects children. A training initiative, which she began in January 2020, has now educated almost 20,000 doctors about how to identify and improve healthcare outcomes for people who have experienced ACEs.

As for her biggest challenge during the pandemic, she acknowledged a feeling of exhaustion. Such exhaustion, she says, is common among health care providers and others on the frontline of the COVID-19 response and relief efforts, after a full year of the pandemic.

“It’s been a real sprint. My colleagues in government, and especially in health and human services, have been working around the clock responding to this emergency. It’s a lot, it’s late at night, on the weekends, my family not seeing enough of me. I think that for all of us, just the endurance has been pretty intense,” Burke Harris says.

To help recover from the daily pressures of work, Burke Harris values self-care and family time. She makes an intentional effort to practice meditation as selfcare when life gets hectic. As for family time, she enjoys game nights and snuggles from her children to cultivate joy. Also, her kids are quick to tell her when she seems stressed.

Burke Harris says, “I remember there was one point during the January surge that was really intense. I was having dinner with my family and my eight-year-old said, “Oh no, it looks like Mama lost her giggle.” In that moment, he just held up a mirror for me, and how much the intensity and the pressure of my work was coming into our family life. It just reinforced for me that no matter what I’ve got to keep that sense of playfulness with my kids.”

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

This Women’s History Month, California Black Media is profiling three Black women on the leading edge of California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris, California Gov Operations Secretary Yolanda Richardson and Kimberly Goode, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Blue Shield of California. The profiles explore how these exceptional women have brought their experience, knowledge and leadership abilities to driving California’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. It also looks at the challenges they have faced, the successes they have won and how they balance the rigors of their public roles with the responsibilities of their private lives.

Profile: Kimberly Goode, the Implementer

During a time when an all-out effort is underway to get Californians vaccinated, a few women leaders in California are leading the charge to reach the communities hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, including Black families in “hard-to-reach” areas across the state.

Kimberley Goode, the Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Blue Shield of California) is one of those Black women in on the frontlines.

Blue Shield of California is the state’s “third-party administrator” as California ramps up its push to get its 40 million residents vaccinated. Goode says the company, with headquarters in Oakland, has taken a number of steps to support the state’s goal to get vaccines to all Californians – particularly those who have been disproportionately impacted — in a way that is safe, equitable and swift. Blue Shield’s provider network boasts more than 1,200 vaccination sites in California, including community clinics, multi-county entities, hospital systems, medical groups, pharmacies and others.

“The state makes final allocation decisions. The state makes all decisions around eligibility,” says Goode. “Our job is to make sure that the robust network that we’ve built is able to get that vaccine to the providers who are throughout every community in the state of California – to reach every zip code.”

Goode says their distribution efforts target areas in the state where data shows there are higher incidents of infection and death. “Those are the places we really want to double down on and make sure that we have more vaccines there, more quickly,” she said. “We make sure we partner with local community clinics, trust

“Our goal is two reach 3 million doses per week by March,” Goode added.

A public-relations specialist, Goode’s position with Blue Shield of California puts her in charge of communication and outreach on behalf of the nonprofit that generates more than $20 billion in annual revenue and serves more than 4 million members in commercial, individual, and government markets.

“There is a lot of concern about the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and, in particular, the African American community,” says Goode. “One of the things that should give comfort to people in this process is that there are a lot of people who care about equity, and two state leaders I work with, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and Secretary Yolanda Richardson – they are two very important voices that are ensuring that equity is at the forefront of the decision-making process, and the implementation of the vaccine distribution.”

She has more than 25 years of communications experience with several global companies, including Kellogg’s, Prudential Financial, American Express, and Allstate. She also spent time as the vice president of Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs at Northwestern Mutual, where she was responsible for leading the company’s internal and external communications strategy.

In the summer of May 2017, Goode joined Blue Shield of California to provide strategic leadership in corporate communications, government affairs, and corporate citizenship. She is also responsible for building relationships that help advance the nonprofit health plan’s mission.

“If that’s not enough titles, I get to work on the communication, education, and equity workstream for the third-party administration work that we’re doing on the behalf of the state for the vaccination program,” said Goode, who chairs Blue Shield of California’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Council.

Goode is active professionally and in the community with a number of organizations, including the Executive Leadership Council, the Bay Area Council, Children Now Leadership Council and California Women Lead Advisory Council, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and The Links, Inc.

At home, Goode says she has been working from home and sheltering in a “four-generation family bubble” with her husband, her two daughters, her 75-year-old mother and her 95-year-old grandmother.

“The silver lining of this pandemic has been that it has really helped me to reflect on what matters most and prioritize my time with my family – to focus on the things that are meaningful. We engage in some old fun activities. We play “Black Panther Monopoly.” It’s a board game that is a ton of fun. Just having fun with family in ways that we used to take for granted.”

But the greatest reward of her work right now, Goode says, is working for a “mission-driven company.”

“This is work that enables us to help every Californian,” she said. It is very gratifying to know that when I wake up and come to work every day (even though it is in my living room), it is not

focused on ‘how I can help Blue Shield today.” It is focused on “how can Blue Shield help Californians across the state.’”

PACIFIC OCEAN (March 8, 2021) – U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dierdre Marsac, from San Bernardino, Calif., takes a photo aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) March 8, 2021. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. As the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific Region.

May is Mental Health Month, and San Bernardino County’s Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is gearing up for its 17th Annual Evening with the Stars. DBH is inviting the community to nominate a deserving individual who has made a difference in the field of behavioral health. You may nominate yourself, staff members, colleagues, friends or agencies by 4 p.m. Friday, April 23, by filling out the form on www.westsidestorynewspaper.com. 

Vaccinating our veterans, seniors and active military members has been an important goal of mine ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began. I’m excited to report that the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System has announced this week that enrolled veterans of ALL AGES can now get vaccinated.

VA Loma Linda has limited doses of the Johnson and Johnson Janssen vaccine, and is also receiving regular shipments of the Moderna vaccine. The brand of vaccines that Veterans will receive depends on supply at the time of appointment.

Call 909-825-7084 ext. 5085 to make an appointment. If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, call 909-825-7084 ext. 4225.

A congratulations goes out to Hesperia Police Department’s Deputy Clarence Harris on his Sheriff’s Lifesaving Award. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department recently honored Deputy Harris for his outstanding work during his response to an assault with a deadly weapon. When Deputy Harris arrived on the scene, “he found a man suffering from a gunshot wound and bleeding profusely from his thigh. Harris applied a tourniquet to the leg and successfully slowed the bleeding. Medical personnel arrived, and the man was flown to the hospital.” Thank you, Deputy Harris, for your quick thinking and service to our community. It is much appreciated!

Ada Mae Garth was born on January 30,1934 the 4th Child of 15, to the late Charlie Lewis Wilson and the late Carrie Sturdivant Wilson in Dadeville, Alabama. Ada lived in the Dadeville and Birmingham, Alabama location until her marriage to the late Jervis Leon Garth, Sr. in 1952, in which the military afforded them to travel and live in many states abroad until they moved to San Bernardino, CA.  

Ada was a resident of San Bernardino, CA location for over 55 years. She was known for her kindness, generosity, and infectious Smile. Her home was a revolving door of Love. She treated everyone’s child that entered her home as though they were her own.  The love of the Lord shined thru her. 

Ada departed this side of life on February 19, 2021. She leaves behind to cherish her precious memories, 5 daughters and 2 Sons: Kathleen Washington, Rialto, CA; Ernestine Archie; Jervis Garth Jr, Birmingham Alabama; Louise (Glenn) McMillon, Stockton, CA; Edward (Althea) Abdullah, Atlanta, GA; Caroline Garth, San Bernardino, CA, Helen Garth, Stockton, CA.; (Bernadette, Abdullah, Seattle, Washington), 4 surviving siblings; Charles Wilson of Montgomery, Alabama; Geraldine Wilson, Lagrange, Georgia; Donald (Alma) Wilson, Birmingham, Ala; Connie (Harold) Brown, Pinson, Ala; a host of 1, 2, 3 and 4 generation grandkids, nieces and nephews. She will truly be missed and not forgotten.

Viewing and Service at The Community Memorial Chapel 738 E Highland Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92404.  Viewing April 20, 2021 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Service April 21, 2021 11:00 am. Interment immediately following at Montecito Memorial Park.

Every tax season there seems to be a new scam. The IRS is warning the community that scammers are impersonating IRS officials in an attempt to steal your identity or access your financial information.

Please remember that the IRS will not:

• Call to demand an immediate payment.
• Ask for bank account, credit, or debit card information over the phone.
• Call and threaten legal action or to contact local authorities.

If you get a suspicious email:

• Don’t reply to the message.
• Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov then delete it.
• Don’t open any attachments or click on any links.

For more information about how to protect yourself and what to look out for, visit
IRS Tax Tips.

San Bernardino County Museum will reopen to the public on Thursday, March 18, featuring the exhibit, “Here Comes the Sun: Solar Science and Spirituality.” The exhibit features dramatic, large scale footage from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory. Temporarily modified hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m.Tuesday-Sunday.

The museum is also seeking artists and musicians to participate in their virtual exhibit, “Inside the Lines: Voices of the Civil Rights Movement.” Residents are invited to post their art or music online using the hashtag #SBCMCallAndResponse or #VVMCallAndResponse for an opportunity to be highlighted on the museum’s social media platforms. Submissions can also be received via email at museum@sbcounty.gov.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Can COVID vaccines affect fertility? Were Black people used in the COVID vaccine research studies? Do you still need to get vaccinated if you’ve already had COVID-19? What is emergency use authorization? 

These are just four out of about 50 resurfacing questions a group of Black doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals’ answers in a video intended to penetrate clouds of misinformation about COVID-19 as it provides vital information that address lingering questions, still unanswered, that many people have about COVID-19. 

The video titled “A Conversation: Between Us, About Us,” is moderated by Palo Alto native, comedian and San Francisco resident W. Kamau Bell. The video is produced with the support of a partnership between the Black Coalition Against COVID (BCAC), a national advocacy group, and the San Francisco-based Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a philanthropic non-profit focused on generating data and resources to equip policymakers and the general public with important health information. 

Berkeley-based Jacob Kornbluth Productions worked with KFF and BCAC to create the videos. California Health Care Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and Sierra Health Foundation also contributed to funding the production and distribution of the video. 

“I was a part of the expert African American panel, which is a group of providers like myself – with doctors, nurses, community people, et cetera. This is a group that was created through National Institutes of Health to review the various vaccine protocols for the different companies that were developing the vaccines,” said Orlando Harris, a public health researcher, during the introduction of the video featuring him. 

The healthcare professionals’ push to educate African Americans with the intention to reduce “vaccine hesitancy” is just one of many other similar campaigns around the country organized by civil rights organizations, government agencies, professional organizations, community groups, foundations and others. 

The information they are providing comes at a time when California is taking major steps to relax social isolation guidelines, reopen large businesses like theme parks and restart in-person learning for children attending K-12 public schools. Last week, Gov. Newsom announced that the state is investing $6.6 billion into recovery efforts that include facilitating the safe reopening of schools. 

On Friday, Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary, said he believes as more Californians become vaccinated the safter it would be to change the state-issued guidance on restricted activities. Theme parks could reopen as soon as April 1, he said. 

“We feel like now is the appropriate time to begin to reintroduce these activities in some fashion and, again, in a guarded way, in a slow and steady way, with the other protective factors of the blueprint all sort of wrapped around it,” Ghaly said during the news briefing. 

The medical professionals who participated in “Conversation” project say the information they share in the videos will facilitate discussions among family members and arm health workers with credible information they need to answer questions patients may have. 

“Taking off my hat as a clinician and a researcher, I have to go home and have conversations with my mom, with my dad, and my grandparents about the vaccine and why taking the vaccine is important,” explained Harris, who is also a family nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing. 

“Being on that panel with the rest of my colleagues and reviewing the protocols, gave me great insights,” he continued. “So, now I can have the conversation with you. I can have it with my family, and I can say, actually, we were represented in the trials and these are the numbers, et cetera. 

Black Americans are among groups least likely to get the vaccines even though their COVID-19 mortality rates are among the highest in the U.S., according to KFF. The report states that 34 % of Blacks across the country say they will “wait and see” if the vaccines are working on others before they take it. 

 “As Black health academicians, researchers, and clinicians, we understand our empathy-based responsibility to provide our community with the resources and guidance on surviving this pandemic,” said Dr. Reed Tuckson, a member of BCAC. “As such, we appreciate this partnership with KFF to produce one of the largest of its kind campaigns to creatively provide trustworthy information that will save Black lives.”

In California so far, there have been 54,128 COVID-19 deaths as of March 7. Across the state, there have been about 3.8 million confirmed cases with about 1.2 million of them registered in Los Angeles County alone. 

Dr. Pamela Simms-Mackey is chair of Pediatrics and Chief of Graduate Medical Education at Alameda Health System in Oakland. She says much of her work has been centered around promoting equity and reducing health disparities for African Americans and other minorities who have been underserved. 

“When people in their minds think of side effects, they think of something that happens that is not supposed to happen,” she said. “Soreness at the injection site, headaches, fever, a swollen lymph node. Those are vaccine-anticipated reactions. That shows your body is reacting to the vaccines. Those are good signs. You want to see that. That shows that the vaccine is working in your body.” 

Dr. Rhea Boyd, a physician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Chief Medical Officer of San Diego 211, a community health organization, says she believes roadblocks that prevent African Americans from getting COVID-19 vaccines have little to do with hesitancy. 

“The barriers are accessible facts about the COVID-19 vaccines and convenient access to receive a vaccine,” said Boyd. She co-developed the project with KFF and the Black Coalition Against COVID. 

“This is a comprehensive effort on behalf of Black health care workers across the country,” she said.