Fireside Chat: COVID-19 Vaccines

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat for rural communities on COVID-19 vaccines on May 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. 

NCDHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen, M.D., will be joined by Patrick Woodie, president of the NC Rural Center, and Bishop Paul Leeland, resident bishop of the Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Church. Kelly Calabria, president and CEO of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation, will moderate the event.

The event will stream live from the NCDHHS, NC Rural Center and WNCCUMC social media accounts, and through a telephone townhall feature. To access the fireside chat, click on one of the following links at 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday:
 

• NCDHHS: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
• NC Rural Center: Facebook and Twitter
• WNCCUMC: Facebook and Twitter
• FHLI: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

The fireside chat can also be accessed through the telephone town hall feature by calling 855-756-7520 and using extension 73943#.

The fireside chat and other live series events are part of the state’s ongoing public engagement to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure access to timely information, resources and COVID-19 vaccines. The event also supports the state’s continued efforts to better understand and address the barriers and concerns that exist within communities. Currently, more than half of adults in North Carolina are at least partially vaccinated and about 46% are fully vaccinated.

To help ensure access to the fireside chat, the state plans to alert community members through a phone call where they can listen in to the event. Attendees will be able to ask questions during the event by phone and via social media. NCDHHS also encourages people to submit questions in advance by emailing socialmedia@dhhs.nc.gov.