Haven’t Ya Herd? New Orleans Drag Queen Keeps it Real

To help promote the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, New Orleans-based addiction treatment provider Odyssey House Louisiana enlisted the help of “Debbie with a D,” a local drag queen celebrity and vocal supporter of public health. “Debbie with a D,” who holds a master’s degree in public health, first gained notoriety as a trusted health advocate when she helped provide more than 10,000 HIV self-testing kits to the New Orleans’ LGBTQ+ community in the months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. As an Odyssey House vaccine ambassador since December 2022, “Debbie with a D” published a series of colorful Facebook posts encouraging vaccinations: “It takes a quick visit to the clinic and BAM, you’ve made it less likely that you’ll get sick which means everyone you know is also less likely to get sick. In New Orleans I like to call this ‘Ya ‘Herd Immunity.’” These playful but direct messages reached over 2600 members of the New Orleans community.