More Concerns Than Comfort

As COVID-19 Rises In Prince George’s County, Leaders Host “Where Do We Go From Here” Town Hall

By Hamil R. Harris

At a time when the number of COVID-19 cases in Prince George’s County has exceeded 10,000, members of the County Council hosted a “Where do we go from here?” virtual town hall joined by leaders of the medical community who collectively asked the question before a capacity audience attending the ZOOM formatted event.

Dr. Joseph L. Wright, MD, President & CEO (Acting), Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, University of Maryland Capital Region Health; Dr. George Askew, Prince George’s County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and other participants took part in an event hosted by County Council Consultant Dr. Yolandra Hancock MD, Prince George’s County Council Vice-Chair and At-Large Councilmember Calvin S. Hawkins, II and Councilmember Sydney J. Harrison (Dist-9).

The online meeting took place May 14.

During the meeting, panel members offered underlying reasons for the spread of COVID-19 in the county.

“Why is Prince George’s County data so high?” Dr. Askew asked rhetorically during the forum.  “We knew we had essential workers, we know that a lot of folks go back and forth (through the county), we also know that we have a dense metropolitan area [with] folks living in crowded areas.”

In terms of COVID-19 testing, Askew said, “Our capacity is not enough. This is one of the reasons why we are not prepared to move into Phase 1 (of reopening). Our goal is to get up to 9,000 tests a week, we are testing about 6,000 a week. Surprisingly we are not that far away.”

But in terms of delivering care to people of color, Dr. Hancock asked the panelist whether or not there is an explicit and implicit bias by medical professionals in terms of delivery of care in a county that has only been able to hire half the number of primary care physicians-475- compared to more than 1,000 in Montgomery County.

Wright responded by saying, “There is a long history of implicit bias. Let’s be clear, implicit bias is racism and the ability to relate and to communicate with patients impacts outcomes and is a major component of how we can construct the health care workforce.

The council members were asked about their role on the council in terms of being the watchdog for those who deliver healthcare in the county and Harrison said, “I am reminded of a quote by Nelson Mandela: Your ignorance can hurt people around you. The question is: How do we make that shift to a positive movement in the county.”

Hawkins said that he wanted to chair the council’s committee on Health and Public Safety because as one who has been incarcerated in his life, “I have the responsibility to men and women who will never get a chance to see freedom. I made it clear from day one that I wanted to be the chair of the Health Human Services and Public Safety (HHSPS) Committee. I have looked at the data and I am prepared to lead.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress among many in the county. In terms of mental health, President and CEO, Interdynamics, Inc. Joan Branch said “All of us have had to realign our lives. What we are seeing is an increase [in] anxiety and stress. We see people who [are] struggling because they don’t have access to health care. We are hearing that there is an increase in domestic violence and we are seeing that in our clinics. When someone is going through a crisis don’t hesitate to call 911 or provide them support.”

In his concluding remarks, Hawkins said, “We have started the story, we are just working to fulfill the promise of Martin Luther King [when] asked the question-‘Where do we go from here?’ The Doctors on this panel have given us a road map. We have to collaborate to do the right thing for the right reason.”