Rural doctors face vaccine distrust and conspiracies. They have a plan.

“We plan to do that on camera in a very public way to help people feel comfortable with the vaccine,” Huth said. “It’s important that as a health care leader in this area, we’re also leading the way on this important initiative.”…

The first shots — all administered to doctors — will be broadcast on a public Zoom call Thursday night, hours after the hospital first receives the vaccine, so the public can see the process and hear the doctors’ thoughts. Other health care workers can begin getting vaccinated at 5:30 a.m. CT Friday…

“That’s why I think it’s important for local health care professionals to be able to say, ‘Hey, I got the vaccine. It’s safe, it’s efficacious. I’ve looked at the data, I feel comfortable, and you should, too,’” Bill Finerfrock, the executive director of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, said. “I think that’s another aspect of this public education message that can be very effective in helping to ensure that folks in these rural communities also get the vaccine when it’s available.”