ACT to host meeting on the current Covid situation in Elkart County

ELKHART, Ind. -- An open-to-the-public meeting on October 25 at 7 p.m. features information on the current Covid situation in Elkhart County, as well as guidance on how to overcome vaccine resistance.   

Presented by ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa, guest experts on this ZOOM meeting will be Dr. Daniel Nafziger, MD, MS, Chief Medical Officer at Goshen Hospital and Dr. Frank D. Lemus, Sr., who holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology. 

Dr. Nafziger will give a candid overview on the current Covid numbers and situation in Elkhart County, and Dr. Lemus will discuss how to enter into effective discussions and overcome vaccine resistance.

“We are pulling out all the stops at Goshen Health to assure the well-being of Elkhart County residents and prevent more deaths from COVID-19.  The easiest lifesaving step is for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Nafziger, Hospital Chief Medical Officer.  Dispelling misinformation he frequently hears about immunity after recovering from COVID, he notes that, “Long COVID is a health issue you want to avoid, and immunity after getting natural COVID is potentially short term.  The overwhelming majority of people who get sick enough to be hospitalized or die are the unvaccinated.”

Dr. Nafziger will discuss the current Delta surge and other variants on the horizon and emphasize the continued importance of getting vaccines and boosters. 

Looking toward the future of COVID, he said, “There are some promising treatments for COVID patients, but few are available today, so the best protection is to get the vaccine.”

Dr. Lemus has identified 5 major groups of vaccine resisters and will discuss how to have a positive dialogue with these people.  He is a nationally-known counseling psychologist.

“Bringing this pandemic under control is more than a public health issue of getting people vaccinated, it is a call, to care for our communities and the well-being of others,” noted Dr. Lemus, who is a nationally known Family Therapist who has closely followed the science and the verified results of vaccination programs.  He has identified 5 major groups of vaccine resisters, and will offer positive approaches to difficult discussions surrounding vaccination.  “The reasons for vaccine resistance range from anger to fear,” he says.  “Each group of vaccine resisters presents a different challenge.”

This free ZOOM meeting is open to everyone.  To obtain the sign-in information, contact [email protected].  

At this email address, you can also submit questions for the guest speakers to answer during the presentation.