Hip Hop Public Health Continues the Fight Against COVID-19, Variants and Misinformation With the Launch of Inmunidad Comunidad PSA Campaign

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NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month and those who selflessly lend their well-respected voices to advocate for critical issues surrounding health – including access to culturally relevant information for Latinos – Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) today launched Inmunidad Comunidad, a Spanish-language follow-up to the global nonprofit's breakthrough Community Immunity: A Rap Anthology About Vaccines series that launched in February. Inmunidad Comunidad features an original song produced by DJ Ted Smooth, "King of Latin Hip Hop," performed across four animated music videos addressing vaccine literacy, safety, the latest information about COVID-19 and its disproportionate effect on Latinos. Featuring a reggaeton-inspired fusion of Latin rhythms and Hip Hop beats, Inmunidad Comunidad was created to further combat the spread of COVID-19 and its variants that have impacted the lives of millions of Latinos nationwide, who while representing 18% of the U.S. population, comprise 27.5% of all covid cases according to CDC data as of September 10. While this statistic is lower than the 34% of Latino covid cases a little more than one year ago, the rise of variants and fear about the vaccines compelled Hip Hop Public Health to take further action.

Inmunidad Comunidad is also inspired by HHPH's groundbreaking 20 Segundos o Más campaign featuring Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Lisa Lisa, Amara La Negra, Melissa Jimenez of "The Voice," with lyrics written by up-and-coming rapper/singer Leisley and the legendary Dose, who lend their dynamic styles to the project. Medical oversight is provided by Dr. Olajide Williams, founder of Hip Hop Public Health and Chief of Staff, Department of Neurology, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, along with New York Presbyterian/ Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Dr. Ana Cepin, (Dr. Ana G!). Dr. Monique Hedmann-Maxey, Hip Hop Public Health Advisory Board Member, resident physician in the Department of Family Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and rapper, performs on the track as Docta Mo Flow. The video animation was written, created and produced by Cartuna and Mylo The Cat. Philanthropic support for this initiative is provided by The Scarlet Feather Fund.

"As the coronavirus continues to ravage communities of color, the long-standing distrust that many feel towards medical science along with rampant misinformation has proven to be an even greater challenge, worsening historical inequities," says Dr. Olajide Williams. "Our goal with Inmunidad Comunidad is therefore to increase vaccine literacy by demonstrating three critical points of fact: one, the vaccine is safe; two, no scientific shortcuts were taken in the development of the vaccine; and three, being vaccinated is an act of community service."

"COVID-19 is the most devastating scourge of the century, and Brown and Black communities continue to be disproportionately affected," adds Dr. Ana Cepin. "I am honored to work alongside Hip Hop Public Health as we strive to place Inmunidad Comunidad within the consciousness of humanity. As a physician and a health advocate, I want to inspire people – mi gente – to learn and understand the facts about the vaccine and its potential to get us back to healthy, strong communities that will result in increased immunity for us all – Inmunidad Comunidad will help achieve this," adds Dr. Ana Cepin.

Each video in the series is themed around a specific vaccine literacy subject, designed to dispel popular myths and misinformation. Video topics include: What Are Vaccines and How do they Work?, What Are the Symptoms After Taking the Vaccine?, Why is Getting the Vaccine Better than getting COVID?, and What's the Deal with Variants?

"Music is life and so is good health," says Lori Rose Benson, Executive Director and CEO of Hip Hop Public Health. "Research shows that culturally relevant and community-based art is a powerful force for health behavior change. Throughout the pandemic, Hip Hop Public Health has applied our evidence-based multi-sensory, multi-level health education model to spread the word about health behaviors, like hand-washing and face masks, that protect against COVID-19, and to increase vaccine literacy and uptake in communities of color. Hip Hop Public Health's educational music video PSAs and other resources around health, nutrition and physical fitness have been seen and shared by millions of people around the world – we're creating a movement through the videos themselves and the messages they carry, all designed to replace fear with facts."

In addition to the Inmunidad Comunidad song and video, HHPH has created multiple opportunities for the public to get involved and inspired to get vaccinated and to stop the spread. This will include a series of virtual town hall meetings beginning Thursday, October 7th at 7:00 PM EST. The first session will be moderated by Dr. Max Gomez, medical reporter for CBS News and feature insights and the latest information from Dr. Williams, Dr. Cepin and Dr. Hedmann-Maxey. The Inmunidad Comunidad virtual town hall meetings will distill the complex information about the vaccine into clear messages, as the public will be invited to discover how Hip Hop Public Health uses music and art to break communications barriers. 

About Hip Hop Public Health
Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that creates and implements multimedia public health and education interventions designed to improve health literacy, inspire behavior change, and promote health equity. Based in New York City, HHPH was founded in Harlem in 2006 with the mission to empower youth and families around the globe with the knowledge and skills to make healthier choices.

Through a research-driven developmental process created by Columbia University Neurologist Dr. Olajide Williams (a.k.a. the "Hip Hop Doc"), HHPH harnesses the transformative power of music, art, and science to create scalable, highly engaging, culturally relevant music and multimedia "edutainment" resources. The HHPH team, led by physical education veteran and public health leader Lori Rose Benson, is a unique transdisciplinary collective comprised of health and education professionals (including nutritionists, public health researchers, teachers, physicians, behavioral scientists, and a student advisory board), proven-successful creatives, and socially conscious A-list iconic rap stars and pop artists including Doug E. Fresh, Chuck D, DMC of Run DMC, Ashanti, Jordin Sparks, as well children's television writers/producers.

HHPH is proud to partner locally, regionally, and internationally to empower health focused organizations and stakeholders to adopt and adapt HHPH resources and infuse them into youth and community health and wellness programming and initiatives. All HHPH music, videos, comic books, video games and guidance documents are available for free and can be accessed on its online resource repository. Learn more at https://hhph.org and follow HHPH on social @hhphorg.

SOURCE Hip Hop Public Health

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