Let’s say you’re not sure whether it is safe for your children to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or get on a plane.
He can help you make an informed decision.
Let’s say you know someone who’s had a scary side effect so you’re still not ready to get an injection.
He can explain the risks and benefits to you.
Let’s say you’re wondering if you need a boost as the Omicron variant seems less lethal than others.
He is your type.
Boaz Hepner, a registered nurse, did not want to be a one-man clearinghouse for information about the coronavirus and the vaccines developed to fight it. But as he learned more, he shared more and his audience grew. He’s now advised neighbors, family, friends, and colleagues at the Providence Saint John Health Center in Santa Monica.
“When the pandemic started, I was working in the hospital with COVID patients and everyone was scared,” said Hepner, who decided to use his access to experts and his role as a member of the Jewish Journal.
Lakshmy Menon, an infection prevention specialist at Saint John’s and a former researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, became one of Hepner’s primary sources in the early stages of the pandemic. It was the subject of a story he wrote for the Jewish Journal in March 2020.
“He really filled a void,” said Menon, who told me that different professionals in each hospital can answer questions about COVID-19 and the vaccines, but they are not necessarily readily available for everyone. “It was such a blessing for Boaz to be interested and to gather all that knowledge and educate his colleagues. Because of his personality, his colleagues trust him and his patients trust him. “
Another colleague of Hepner’s who was riddled with questions was Dr. Ellie Goldstein, an infectious disease specialist at Saint John’s.
“He’s a really good nurse, and he’s picked up that extra to try and raise awareness and understanding,” said Goldstein. Hepner’s goal is to “combat misinformation that people might have. I really believe that his strength lies in responding to people’s questions and fears. “
Nobody who knows Hepner is surprised at how committed he is to his latest mission, and when I heard about his job as a vaccine educator, I wasn’t. I wrote about Hepner in 2010 when he took over town hall and his parish in a relentless year-long battle for more trash cans in his Pico-Robertson neighborhood.
“Oh my god, that’s the hero of the city!” Said a trader when I went into a shop with Hepner after the garbage cans were set up. “Do you know the streets are cleaner because of him?”
Hepner has now taken on a bigger cause, and it is no exaggeration to say that he has made a lot of people better informed. Hepner said he was apolitical with patients, readers, friends and colleagues who asked him questions. On his record, most of the vaccine opponents he advised decided to get stabbed after hearing him, including medical staff.
Hanna Yemanebirhan, a colleague of Hepner’s nurses, told me that she got through the first big waves of COVID-19 patients without getting sick and seeing no need for a vaccination. She changed her mind after talking to Hepner.
“It really got me to think about it more,” said Yemanebirhan, who told me that nobody else took that much time to help her see the benefits and risks of the vaccine. “I trust Boaz. He is a very open and caring person. “
Jason Rosenbaum, a long-time friend of Hepner’s, is vaccinated but was concerned about getting a booster vaccination and taking his 5-year-old daughter with her for the first vaccination. Both tested positive for the virus last year, and Rosenbaum had questions about whether he needed a booster vaccination and whether there was still enough data to suggest vaccines are safe for young children.
“Boaz was there for me,” said Rosenbaum. “I probably drove him crazy with all of my various questions and attended one of his webinars. … He is fully committed to the things that Boaz is passionate about. “
Rosenbaum said he decided to get the syringes after determining, thanks in part to Hepner’s research, that the risks of acute side effects were small and the risks of getting COVID-19 were far greater.
“It’s better to hedge your bet on the vaccine,” said Rosenbaum.
Dr. Ronald A. Nagel, a pediatrician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said he didn’t necessarily learn anything new from Hepner, who shared his research virtually and in person with seminars lasting more than two hours. (You can find one of Hepner’s presentations on YouTube.)
“But Boaz put it all together,” said Nagel in such a convincing way that he relied on Hepner’s presentation to answer questions from vaccine-reluctant parents.
“I’m using a lot of the information he had,” said Nagel, especially when asked how rapidly developed vaccines can be safe.
Nagel said Hepner stated that mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna draw on scientific evidence that has been researched for many years for various uses. Although vaccines typically take many years to develop, the benefit of drug companies during the pandemic was that then-President Trump was urged to act quickly, with sufficient funds, many scientists joining in, thousands of willing study participants and none Lack of viruses the vaccines can be tested for.
We still don’t know all there is to know about the virus or the vaccines, Nagel said.
“But the disease scares me more than the vaccine,” he said. “This disease scares me.”
Hepner told me his 3½ year old daughter was in a vaccination study and he was the COVID-19 advisor to their preschool, where students are masked and parents and staff are vaccinated. He said he ate in restaurants but only outdoors. He was in the movies but wore a mask all the time and wasn’t on an airplane.
Boaz Hepner did not want to be a one-man clearinghouse for information about the coronavirus and the vaccines developed to fight it. But as he learned more, he shared more and his audience grew.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
“I would, but I would wear an N95 mask and not take it off to eat,” said Hepner.
Recently, an unvaccinated patient and her husband asked him why they should bother getting an injection when there are so many breakthrough infections going on, particularly with the Omicron variant that is currently plaguing hospitals across the country. Hepner doesn’t know if they were eventually vaccinated.
But he told them that while the first signs are that Omicron is less fatal and has less severe symptoms, it isn’t always the case. It’s more highly contagious, he said, which means more people will be exposed to possible acute symptoms.
Vaccines aren’t 100% effective, Hepner said. But they do make the chances of getting the virus less, and if you do anyway, the effects are statistically less severe.
“We have to understand that it’s not just about prevention,” said Hepner. “It’s about reducing the risk.”
Two years after a stressful and frightening pandemic, this is good advice to everyone.
Comments are closed.