Mercy
Iowa City Chief Medical Officer and
Vice President of Medical Affairs Stephen Scheckel, MD, will serve as an expert
panelist in an upcoming virtual discussion centering around the topic: “Why
Should I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine?”
The
United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties will host this panel discussion
virtually on Thursday, April 22. The United Way is working to provide clear
information to inform the community on the COVID-19 vaccine, partnering with
Mercy Iowa City and Towncrest Pharmacy. Panelists will answer submitted
questions from the public, present facts and dispel some of the fiction and
rumors centering around the vaccine and vaccination process.
“The
number of people getting vaccinated in our community and state is trending upward,”
said Scheckel. “With all Iowans 16 years and older eligible to get the vaccine,
and more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine available, it is imperative that we work
to reach our goal of herd immunity and encourage others to get vaccinated.”
United Way of Johnson &
Washington Counties will live stream the panel discussion via Zoom hosted by
Rebecca Neades, Vice President Community Development and Governmental Affairs at GreenState Credit Union. Panelists joining the discussion will include Scheckel
and Randy McDonough, PharmD, MS, BCGP, BCPS, FAPhA, Co-Owner at Towncrest
Pharmacy. Registration is required to receive your Zoom link to join the call.
“We know community members
have many questions and some concerns about how the COVID-19 vaccine will
affect their personal and family's health as well as activities in their
communities,” said Katie Knight, President & CEO of United Way of Johnson
& Washington Counties. "This event offers an opportunity to elevate
and address those questions."
To register, visit United Way
of Johnson & Washington Counties’ website at https://www.unitedwayjwc.org/form/why-should-i-get-a-covid-vaccine. Upon
registration, guests can post questions for the panel. Questions will be
addressed pending time restraints and no questions will be taken during the
call. Media is encouraged to register and submit questions ahead of the start
time on Thursday, April 22.
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About Mercy Iowa City
Mercy
Iowa City is an acute care hospital and regional referral center for southeast
Iowa. Mercy has received: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) 5 Star
Rating as a Top 2% of all hospitals for the 4th consecutive year,
the only hospital in Iowa to do so; the Fortune IBM/Watson Health 100 Top
Hospital ranking; the accredited Chest Pain Center with the American Heart
Association Gold Plus Achievement Award for Stroke Care; the Top 100 Community
Hospitals Award in 2018 and 2019 from Becker’s Review; the Press Ganey Guardian
of Excellence Award for Mercy’s Emergency Care Unit by achieving 95 percent for
patient experience for 13 consecutive years; and the Center of Distinction
Award from Healogics for Mercy’s Wound and Vein Center. Mercy has 234 acute care
beds, 25 private rooms for outpatient surgery, a 26-bed nursery with Level II
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 28 primary and specialty care clinics, a medical
staff of 250 physicians representing all major medical specialties and most
subspecialties, and 1,350 employees. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in
1873 and became an affiliate of MercyOne in 2017. To learn more visit www.mercyiowacity.org.
About United
Way of Johnson & Washington Counties
Founded in 1919, United Way of Johnson & Washington
Counties has just celebrated its 100th year as the go-to-place for social
impact. United Way’s nonprofits, businesses, donors, and volunteers partner to
continuously provide positive, measurable changes in our community. Looking for
additional ways to support Johnson & Washington Counties? Visit their
Volunteer Center, make an undesignated financial gift of support to United Way
at UnitedWayJWC.org or call United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties at
(319) 338-7823. Connect with United Way on social media at Twitter @ UWayJWC or
on Facebook @UnitedWayofJohnson&WashingtonCounties. For photos and more
information, please contact: Trisha Smith, Vice President of Development &
Marketing at Trisha.Smith@UnitedWayJWC.org c:(319)270-4827.