THE VALUED VOICE

Former news anchor and CNN Washington bureau chief and current George Washington University Director of Strategic Initiatives Frank Sesno provided inspiration and encouragement in his keynote address to attendees of WHA’s Advocacy Day as they reflect on the challenges of the past year and the road to recovery from COVID-19.
 
In a presentation entitled Surviving the Pandemic, Sesno observed that while the pandemic ought to have brought people together, it did just the opposite. “This has polarized us. This is what you are all confronting. This is a war, and the frontlines are in the hospitals.”
 
Sesno stressed the importance of frontline health care workers telling their stories. “[Good stories] are compelling characters who overcome obstacles for the intended outcome of survival, health and getting back to normal life,” he noted. Storytelling, Sesno added, can and should play an important role in building the trust necessary to overcome vaccine hesitancy. “We gain trust by telling our personal stories,” he said. This, combined with showing respect and listening, will help people gain comfort with taking the vaccine.
 
Sesno concluded his remarks by thanking hospitals for going above and beyond expectations this past year to save lives and make our communities safer.