Montgomery County health officials are partnering with the Latino Health Initiative to host a virtual monkeypox town hall meeting on Monday, Sept. 12 from 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Health officials serving on a panel will present updates on the monkeypox situation in Montgomery County and Maryland, according to a Montgomery County press release. Panelists will provide information on the County’s monkeypox vaccine program as well as preventative measures and treatment options.
The meeting, structured to focus on the Latino community, is the second in a series of monkeypox meetings planned by the county. The first meeting, held in late August, was geared towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Hispanic or Latino people make up 19% of the total U.S. population, yet account for about 30% of the total monkeypox cases as of August 27, 2022, according to a CDC report. A Maryland health department study reports that Hispanic or Latino people make up only 11.8% of the total monkeypox cases in the state. Montgomery County residents make up 11.6% of the total monkeypox cases in the state.
The virtual town hall will be hosted over Zoom and streamed on the County’s Facebook page. Registration for the Zoom meeting is required. Participants can ask questions during the virtual gathering or submit them anonymously prior to the meeting. The meeting will be available to stream on County Cable Montgomery (CCM – Channel 6 and HD 996 on Comcast, Channel 6 and HD 1056 on RCN and Channel 30 on Verizon).
Panelists in the town hall will include the Latino Health Initiative’s Luis Aguirre, Proyecto Salud’s Executive Director Cesar Palacios, Acting County Health Officer James Bridgers and the County Department of Health and Human Services’ Director Raymond Crowel. The panel discussion will be moderated by Lorna Virgilí, the County’s Hispanic public information officer.
