An Exemplary Role Model for Equitable Vaccine Distribution and Physician-led Advocacy
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and changed the way we deliver and access healthcare and life-saving essential medicines including the COVID-19 vaccines. In certain circumstances, it has allowed physicians to step up to the plate and raise their voice in the public square and champion medicine and science. Kedren’s innovative and revolutionary vaccine program was able to accomplish just this and put physician-led advocacy and patient-centered medical care and public health into practice.
Established in 1965 by 22 black Psychiatrists, Kedren Health has been compassionately serving the South Los Angeles community. As a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), and an Acute Psychiatric Hospital its mission is to: provide quality integrated health and behavioral health services to children, youth, adults, and families irrespective of immigration or residency status, language, culture, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or one’s ability to pay.
In response to COVID-19, Kedren Health rallied around this mission, and founded the Kedren Vaccines program. To date the program has administered over 300,000 COVID-19 vaccines throughout the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area as well as hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests. Served by a dedicated core of over 400 volunteers and employees who rolled up their sleeves to play their part in ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kedren has strived to create a unique medical experience — where people experience the “Kedren Way” where they treat people like people. Building an atmosphere that’s more akin to a weekend at Coachella than an exam room, Kedren has transformed the medical experience. They take pride in their ability to respect the dignity and worth of each individual: providing music, laughter, food, and when needed a shoulder to cry on. They’re working not only to cure the COVID-19 crisis but the mental health burden that COVID-19 has plagued our communities with, a weight disproportionately burdened by our black and brown communities of South LA.
Kedren Vaccines is a Center for Excellence and Exemplary Role Model for Equitable Vaccine Distribution. Removing every barrier between people and their vaccine: no appointment–that’s ok. No internet, no address, no ID, you can’t see, hear, talk, walk–no transportation–it didn’t matter, Kedren found a way to get you vaccinated. These directives led to national notoriety, culminating with the program director Dr. Jerry Abraham delivering testimony before the US Senate Health Committee on the subject of equitable vaccine distribution, as well as a gubernatorial visit by Gavin Newsom and Mayoral Visit by Eric Garcetti (in addition to countless other leaders and media coverage) . Kedren’s tireless efforts and advocacy have been featured in dozens of articles and interviews over the past several months, including spotlight segments on the “Rachel Maddow Show”, and “Meet the Press.”, TMZ, VICE News, ‘Joy Reid Show’ among others.
At Kedren Vaccines, the team employs an ‘ENGAGE, EDUCATE, VACCINATE, and ACTIVATE’ model for their patients. Engagement is about meeting people where they are: actively listening, hearing their reservations and concerns, and seeing how best to serve their needs. Education requires active learning not only from the patient but also staff, requiring constant updates on the latest recommendations and best practices. Vaccination is getting a shot of life-saving essential medicine into the patients’ arms, and empowering patients by offering them their choice of vaccine. Activate–by encouraging all of the patients to go out, get a friend, a neighbor, a cousin vaccinated, not be another passive participant but be actively engaged with the community—working collaboratively to increase vaccination rates in the ‘hardly reached’ community. Kedren empowers patients with the information to be an agent for change and better health.
At Kedren, they’ve developed a mobile vaccination program to meet people where they LIVE, WORK, WORSHIP, PLAY, go to SCHOOL and serving the HOMEBOUND. Kedren has dubbed this the “Democratization of Health”, where they are striving to eliminate all barriers, all burdens, that needlessly stand in the way between people and their health.
It’s also working on life beyond COVID-19. These vaccines are a ‘gateway drug’ to Primary Care, Mental Health, and Preventive Services. They are building a comprehensive, integrated health ecosystem that blends and aligns individual and community health. Truly, they are creating whole person and whole community care — committed to laying down and building up public health infrastructure and revolutionized healthcare delivery, so that the carnage and atrocities of this pandemic don’t occur again in the community.
Serving community takes creativity and collaboration. Kedren proudly initiated partnerships with a myriad of community-based organizations as well as public-private partnerships for COVID-19 vaccinations. Successfully and collectively, the community came together and 300,000+ individuals rolled up their sleeve and took their shot and over 400+ volunteers rolled up both their sleeves and helped get their community vaccinated. That is the power of Family & Community Medicine—the power of Family Physician Advocacy.
Let’s build on this success together – let us all work together to continue to take care outside of the traditional four walls of hospitals and clinics and bring health to people where they are in public housing developments, factories, houses of worship, parks and community centers, and schools. With this model, the Future of Family & Community Medicine, and Population & Public Health is Bright!
Dr. Jerry P Abraham is the Director of Kedren Vaccines in South Los Angeles and serves as the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles Academy of Family Physicians, Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, Trustee of the California Medical Association, and Councilor on Constitution & Bylaws for our American Medical Association. Dr. Abraham is Family & Community Medicine Physician, Global Injury Epidemiologist, and Medical Quality Specialist.
