Success at a Glance
Explore this collection of brief stories celebrating the innovations and accomplishments of our partners as they work to create healthier and more resilient communities.
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Success at a Glance
Caring Support for New Arrivals
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Mariana Gonzales is a community health worker (CHW) and public health professional working with the Southeast Arizona Health Education Center’s (SEAHEC) Vacunas para Todos ("Vaccines for all") project. Gonzales spends several afternoons each week at the Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson, Arizona, to provide COVID-19 education and additional support to newly arrived migrant families, connecting them with services and care. For instance, in late 2021, Gonzales provided information and support to a...
Success at a Glance
Coming Together As One
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The New Age Services Corporation (NASC) achieved an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations in their Chicago area communities by leveraging partnerships near and far. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter nearly 700 miles away in Atlanta helped connect organizations for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Chicago’s West Side in March of 2022. Even City of East Point, Georgia Councilmember, Karen Rene got involved and introduced NASC to the NAACP chapter on the...
Success at a Glance
Students Power Health Outreach in Connecticut
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Student community health workers (CHWs) powered the work of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) last summer by partnering with local organizations to host a health event at their local park in New Britain, Connecticut. The YWCA Youth Community Health Workers provided a mobile vaccination station, complete with services to help with housing insecurity, domestic violence, and drug abuse. Fourteen individuals were vaccinated during the event, and 250 back-to-school supply kits and gift...
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Health on Wheels
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At Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency (WMCAA), the work revolves around connecting community members to resources that support their physical, mental, and financial health. For example, WMCAA holds a recurring event at the Inkster Housing Commission at which their staff provides accurate information about COVID-19 to residents. Also, at the local Saunders Memorial A.M.E. Church, the WMCAA mobile health unit distributed informational fliers to help community members navigate questions or...
Success at a Glance
Barn Quilts Keep South Dakota Healthy
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Barn quilts are bright, familiar sights in rural parts of the United States, and the Vermillion Cultural Association (VCA) recently took barn quilt-making to new heights in a traveling health education effort. Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong in collaboration with Creative Care LLC drew on the cultural history of quilt-making among both indigenous and European settler communities. “The Barn Quilt Project connected familiar quilt traditions with stories of resilience throughout the COVID...
Success at a Glance
Vaccinated Dinosaurs?
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If there’s one way to get a child’s attention, it’s probably superheroes...and a dinosaur! At least that was the approach United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, Connecticut, took to make vaccine clinics more inviting for children. Adult staff dressed in superhero costumes, and the chief executive officer greeted children in an inflatable Tyrannosaurus Rex costume to help spread the word about vaccinations. During the Omicron surge, one clinic provided over 200 vaccinations.
Success at a Glance
Helping Thousands in Washington, DC
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By integrating essential social services with their COVID-19 outreach, the Leadership Council for Healthy Communities (LCHC) Vaccine Equity and Inclusion Initiative Team saw abundant success in their Washington, DC community. Through partnerships with the Virtual Health Ministry and Choose Health Life program, residents were referred to vaccination and testing opportunities along with mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and other services. The team also identified and trained...
Success at a Glance
Vaccines, Testing and Gifts, Oh My!
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From a community survey, the Eastside Community Network (ECN) learned that many people felt their community lacked quality providers. So ECN sprang into action, and hosted its first health fair in Detroit in November 2021, aiming to connect community members with healthcare insurance companies that offer access to credentialed providers in the community.
Success at a Glance
Juneteenth Vaccinations
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The Corner Health Center offers health care and supportive services for young people transitioning to adulthood in Ypsilanti, Michigan. During a Juneteenth celebration, the Center hosted a talk by a well-known pediatrician who spoke about health in communities of color, persuading skeptical friends, families, and young people to be vaccinated. One mother attending the talk appreciated the presentation, but shared with staff that she felt defeated in trying to convince her hesitant family to be...
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Infertility and Pregnancy Vaccine Misinformation
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At the Muslim American Foundation Event “Awoowe, COVID, and I,” the Somali Health Board surveyed several families about their understanding of COVID-19 and the vaccines. While many raised concerns and misconceptions, one parent’s story stood out in particular. They shared how a friend of a friend was vaccinated while pregnant and then had a miscarriage. For this reason, the parent and her family members decided not to vaccinate themselves or their children, believing they would become infertile...
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Taking It to the Streets
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Doriandra Smith is a problem solver. As the program manager for Whiteaker Community Council in Eugene, Oregon, she was given the task to see a COVID-19 street mural project to fruition. After eight months of developing a pilot program with the city and an arduous artist selection process, the plan was approved and assigned dates. The project then encountered multiple roadblocks, including a conflicting World Athletics Championship, paint shortages, vandalism, and protests. Smith jumped in to...
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Prizewinning Designs Protect Communities
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A design award and vaccinations were just a few of the results of the University of Alabama Department of Art & Art History’s efforts to bridge the arts and health to vaccinate Alabamans. Design professor Jonathan Cumberland’s “vaccine confidence” posters, which won a national award from Graphic Design USA, highlighted community-oriented messages like “Protect Sunday Pot Luck” and “Hurry, Let Children Play Again” with evocative imagery and brilliant colors. “This project helped to make new...
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Video Games and Vaccinations
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Inspired by the colorful poster of a teen boy holding an oversized vaccine syringe under the heading “Be a community hero!,” a curious young man entered the Spy Hop Productions digital media arts center in Salt Lake City, Utah, to look around. The center was hosting a block party and offering the public an opportunity to engage with the newly launched, student-led Vax2theMax 2.0. This campaign included creative posters, a “Pathogens” video game, and screening of a public service announcement...
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Giving Voice to Healthcare Heroes
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The exhibit, “Return to Normal? COVID Diaries from Local Youth,” was created by two artists with the input of local high school and college students, and organized by St. Paul, Minnesota-based Springboard for the Arts. The students created diary-style artworks in multiple mediums inspired by interviews with local healthcare workers exploring the pandemic’s emotional toll. “It was humanizing because we all look up to healthcare workers and even though they were strong, they struggled through the...
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My Community/Mi Comunidad
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Nearly 2,000 people viewed a COVID-19 film “My Community/Mi Comunidad” created by a Latino filmmaker at the Museo de las Americas’ Cultural First Friday event in July 2022. The film featured the voices of local Latino artists who shared their experiences with the COVID-19 vaccine. Volunteers distributed flyers and surveys to interested visitors, and 81% of respondents answered that they were likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or booster after seeing the film.
Funding for this effort is made...
Success at a Glance
Community Advocate Born of Resistance
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When a member of the COVID-19 outreach team for the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Latino Community Center contacted a single mother of four about the COVID-19 vaccine, the mother was extremely resistant. Not only did she ignore their voicemail messages, she actually hung up on a team member who called her a week later. Although they didn’t know it, the Center's “COVID-Champions” had been successful in planting the seed of change. Eventually, the mother called back with questions – what were the...
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Alleviating Second Thoughts
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Doris Toure had her first COVID-19 vaccine months before the doubts began to creep in, and soon she became skeptical about whether or not she would need a second dose. That is, until she met Vanessa Jackson, a community health advocate with Jefferson Health Foundation - New Jersey at a Vaccine Equity Event held in a Camden laundromat. While discussing Toure’s uncertainty, Jackson explained the reasons why the second dose was important. “Ms. Toure was kind and listened to the data I shared with...
Success at a Glance
Barbershop Bonding
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Throughout their COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Arts Alliance Illinois has relied on the voices of trusted community members. Some of these voices have been heard in conversation at a Carbondale, Illinois barbershop, where Black men of all ages often gather. As part of the Arts Alliance project, a local artist painted a mural on the side of the barbershop’s building, commemorating the many generations of men who have found their community at the barbershop. Inspired by their surroundings...
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Asking the Right Questions
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As a “healing community” of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS working to end AIDS and homelessness, Housing Works, Inc. continued to serve their community throughout the pandemic. As part of a slate of COVID-19 community testing events, vaccination clinics, telehealth services, and more, Housing Works, Inc. also conducted a survey to better understand clients’ reasons for declining or putting off the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey results helped outreach teams to build trust with clients...
Success at a Glance
Dance Drama
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As communities across the nation and world struggled to adjust to the pandemic, some also had the added challenge of facing anti-Asian racism. In response, Asian Media Access debuted their dance drama “Resonance” in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The drama’s narrative mirrored the composer’s experience over the course of the pandemic, using dances and traditional body movements to illustrate the complex journey through learning about the existence of COVID-19, recognizing the disaster, feeling angry...
Success at a Glance
Community Immunity: Let’s Rap About Vaccines
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This original music video features dynamic animated characters performing an original hip hop song encouraging people to ignore misinformation and get vaccinated for COVID-19. One of seven animated videos, this piece features the voice of Grammy®-winning rapper and Hip Hop Public Health Advisory Board member Darryl DMC McDaniels of Run-DMC, who worked alongside award-winning producer Artie Green and singer-songwriter Gerry Gunn.
Funding for this effort is made possible through a subaward from...
Success at a Glance
Let the Games Begin!
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Studio Two Three’s Stronger Together project was designed in response to a critical health equity gap in Richmond, Virginia. Understanding the community’s pandemic fatigue, Kate Fowler, the director of partnerships and development, alongside primary partners at Richmond Public Schools, created and launched a series of community field days in which participants ran races and played games. One thousand “Stronger Together: Get Vaccinated” tote bags and t-shirts were distributed, along with a...
Success at a Glance
Finding Support After Prison
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The Utah Health Policy Project (UHPP) delivers healthcare solutions for underserved Utahns. Throughout the pandemic, UHPP dispatched various Health Access Assisters to attend local events and reach residents with accurate information about COVID-19. At one event, these Assisters helped initially reluctant families get vaccinated while learning about health, insurance coverage, and school and family resources. An Assister found "D" in line at their re-entry fair providing support for those...
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Yes, And – Yes, Please!
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Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, a non-profit in Atlanta, Georgia, has a passion for Improvisational comedy. The team threw their creative energies into helping their community get vaccinated for COVID-19. Throughout the spring and summer of 2022, the group put on hour-long vaccine themed improv shows. Four actors and a musician created the first half of the show by playing improvised scenes based on live suggestions from the audience, while working in information about the importance of COVID-19...
Success at a Glance
La Familia, Tu Familia
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The La Familia food distribution extravaganza in South Hayward, California distributed boxes of food and information about COVID-19 vaccines and testing to 500 people in a single day. At this event, COVID-19 vaccinations were given to 94 community residents, most of whom were Latinx day laborers receiving their first doses. La Familia attributes its success to establishing trust with community residents by meeting their basic human needs, and providing accurate information about COVID-19 and the...
Success at a Glance
Radio DJs #DropTheBeatOnCovid
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In early 2022, radio personality DJ Big Boi of Panama City, Florida, station 99.3 posted a message on Facebook about contracting COVID-19: “Mild symptoms! Very mild. Thank God for the shots!!!! I’ll be broadcast from home this week.” LEAD Coalition of Bay County, Inc. saw an opportunity and asked Big Boi to put his testimony on a billboard in the city. He agreed, and his message – “Thanks to the COVID Vaccine I survived COVID!” – was the beginning of a series of collaborations with LEAD to...
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A U-Turn Towards Advocacy
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Public Health Solutions (PHS) began delivering COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador training during the pandemic, featuring clear descriptions and demonstrations of how COVID-19 spreads. “Our training provided a good springboard on how to engage vaccine hesitancy with Jamaica Queens community members,” said Morales, a PHS member. One vaccine ambassador trainee evolved from spreading misinformation about nefarious government strategies to becoming a community vaccine advocate.
Success at a Glance
A Fair-ly Easy Vaccination
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Established in the 1960s as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, Newcap, Inc. now serves ten counties across Wisconsin. In March 2020, the non-profit held a resource fair in Brown County where eleven vendors offered information, food, and other resources in Spanish and English. Among the varied resources were COVID-19 vaccinations, bilingual nurses and even a success coach. A young mother too busy to arrange a vaccination appointment was thrilled to discover she could get...
Success at a Glance
Asylum Seekers Find Support in Massachusetts
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While distributing flyers for an upcoming vaccine clinic at a local school in the Boston area, a La Colaborativa health promoter met a mother and her children that had newly arrived from El Salvador as asylum seekers fleeing drug traffickers. The promoter helped secure food, clothing, and gift cards for the family, and connected the family to a health care navigator at a local health system. Even though the mother explained that her husband disagreed with her about vaccinating their children...
Success at a Glance
Protecting Her Family
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The HOPE clinic at Medical Advocacy & Outreach (MAO) in Montgomery, Alabama receives many patients who have heard misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines, and their staff is prepared to provide accurate information to everyone that drives up. Early in the pandemic, one patient, Ms. D, had two young children at home when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant with twins. She had felt judged by her former resource office but developed a close bond with the MAO team during her monthly prenatal...
Success at a Glance
Family-Sized Vaccination Appointments
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Many people interested in getting vaccinated for COVID-19 face tremendous barriers, such as lack of transportation, inability to make appointments online, and limited time outside of work. Understanding these challenges, the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington (KCSC) held a family vaccination event offering adult and pediatric vaccines and bagged groceries to take home. One family in attendance – two full-time working parents and their three children – had made multiple failed...
Success at a Glance
Community Groups Unite to Expand Vaccine Access
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By forging a number of fruitful community partnerships, The Illinois Public Health Association’ (IPHA) was able to hold a number of vaccine clinics this year. One of these was held in partnership with the Illinois Migrant Council at the Church of the Nazarene/Iglesia del Nazareno in Effingham, Illinois. This clinic resulted in 28 vaccinations, a success in an area where vaccination rates had lagged. The IPHA later worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)...
Success at a Glance
Washing Away Vaccine Doubts
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Martha Alvarado, a long-time volunteer for the Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP) in New Hampshire, spent a day at a laundromat. She approached a family of six – a mother, father, and their four children – to speak to them about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and GSOP’s upcoming vaccination clinic. The mother dismissed Alvarado before she could get a word out, so Alvarado respectfully moved on to chat with other patrons of the laundromat. Before leaving, she approached the father of...
Success at a Glance
Dozier’s Devotion to Vaccine Uptake
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The Center for Black Women’s Wellness considers Atlanta city councilman Jason Dozier’s visit to their wellness clinic to receive his COVID-19 vaccine one of their proudest moments. By choosing their clinic and sharing his vaccination over social media, other community members were encouraged to visit the clinic and get vaccinated for COVID-19 too. In addition to Dozier’s publicity, the Center has worked with a variety of partners, including local apartment complexes, to conduct mobile COVID-19...
Success at a Glance
A Fairytale Ending for Princess
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Michigan-based Princess Brown, RN had already worked in healthcare for some 30 years when the pandemic hit. As she typically focuses on natural approaches to health and wellness, she was skeptical of the newly arrived COVID-19 vaccines. "I swore to never allow myself to be inoculated with what I termed [was] the mark of the beast,” she said. A year later, still unvaccinated, Brown found a new job as a Case Manager at Elmhurst Home, Inc., a substance abuse and mental health treatment center in...
Success at a Glance
Websites Work!
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When Emmanuel Communities set up a booth at a health fair in southern Florida, they distributed fliers in three languages — English, Spanish, and Creole – and facilitated 50 COVID-19 vaccinations. But not every attendee chose to be vaccinated that day. One gentleman who stopped by the booth was uncertain about how the vaccine would affect him and left unvaccinated – but he took a flyer home with him. After reading the flyer and later visiting Emmanuel Communities' VaxTruths website, he changed...
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Food & Vaccinations on the Fly
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Capitalizing on a food distribution event at a substance abuse recovery organization late last year, the Ohio-based Famicos Foundation held a simultaneous pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic to support attendees in getting vaccinated. Famicos partnered with multiple organizations to pull off this hybrid event. While the recovery organization provided the facility, the Cleveland Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP, also a CDC Foundation P4VE recipient) brought vaccine...
Success at a Glance
Radio Show Dishes Out Accurate Information
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In a world struggling for fair access to quality health care and information, Chicago-based Equal Hope is on a mission to provide superior health education to their community. In addition to supplying free health resources, education on breast and cervical cancer, medical home health, and COVID-19 testing and vaccination, Equal Hope goes a step further by hosting a Saturday radio show called “Equal Health for All” on Chicago station WVON 1690AM. On the program, they host experts and doctors to...
Success at a Glance
Local Partnerships Build Trust
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The Coalition of African Communities (AFRICOM) partnered with community and faith-based organizations, primarily in Southwest and Northeast Philadelphia to engage with community members in addressing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation relating to COVID-19. Through partnering with local and state health departments, AFRICOM coordinated the distribution of over 300 COVID-19 vaccinations and empowered immigrant community members in the Philadelphia area to make informed decisions when receiving...
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Building a Healthier Community through Artistic Expression
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The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) launched the Jamaica Vaxxscene initiative to commission visual, performing, and literary artists to promote the safety, efficacy, and necessity of vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza in their Southeast Queens neighborhood of New York City. The projects included an animated series for younger viewers and an expressive tile painting workshop for seniors. Though JCAL staff member Hernan Mery was not one of the commissioned artists, he was...
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Personal Outreach to Inmates Makes All the Difference
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During the peak of the Delta Variant surge, Hawai’i’s community prisons and jails were overwhelmed with cases of COVID-19. This population has a long history of distrusting government initiatives, and their low vaccination rates added to the problem of COVID-19 spread in these correctional facilities. Recognizing the urgency of the problem, the Hawai’i Public Health Institute (HIPHI) stepped in to provide outreach and education. In partnership with FilCom CARES and Kat Brady, Coordinator of...
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Consul-General motivates Thai-American community to vaccinate in Arizona
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Asian Pacific Community in Action (APCA) knows the value of community engagement while advocating for high-quality, affordable healthcare for community members regardless of their legal status or languages that they speak. Check out this virtual outreach event in Arizona earlier this year, for which they recruited a Thai Consul-General to talk about the Covid-19 vaccine. APCA’s community health worker Jiraanong Manceau, a certified Thai interpreter, ably moderated the dialogue. The Consul is...
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Radio Host Survives COVID-19 and Broadcasts the Importance of Vaccines
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After Goshen, Indiana, resident and popular radio host Pilar Rodriguez recovered from a severe case of COVID-19, she could not let others miss the opportunity to be protected. She became a Unite Against COVID-19 influencer with the Northern Indiana Hispanic Health Coalition (NIHHC) and shared her experience with listeners of her regional La Raza Radio program. Her story was heard over the radio across five counties, and also featured in television advertisements. NIHHC has provided more than 2...
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Influential Messengers Improve Community Health in Inglewood
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Christ-Centered Ministries (CCM) supports 240 revolving clients with interim housing, mental health stabilization, and substance use disorder support programs in Inglewood, California. During the pandemic, CCM equipped many of their clients to become influential messengers to spread awareness about COVID-19 and promote vaccine events among their peers. Between November 2021 and April 2022, CCM held four events, providing the COVID-19 and influenza vaccine as well as sharing general healthcare...
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Local Religious Scholar Has Global Influence on Vaccine Confidence
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In their COVID-19 response, C-ASSIST partnered with influential messenger Syed Quazwini, a Muslim scholar of Iraqi origin who leads a congregation in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The C-ASSIST team met with Quazwini on several occasions to discuss the importance of fighting misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, the urgent need for community members to become vaccinated, and the religious duty individuals have toward their family, friends, and community. Quazwini preached every Friday prayer...
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Relationship Building in South Central LA
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In South Central LA, Community Development Technologies Center (CDTech) relied on a team of trusted messengers to promote Covid-19 and flu vaccinations. Through a combination of door-to-door canvassing, pop-ups, and a town hall event, CDTech connected community members to vital resources. Team members built relationships and empowered residents - providing comfort, education, and connections to local resources - and carried out surveys and technical projects. They were grateful to be welcomed by...
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Families Vaccinating Together
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Aiming to ensure healthy households, the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington (KCSC) recently held a family vaccination event where both adult and pediatric vaccines were offered. One family in attendance – two full-time working parents and three children at different levels in school – had made multiple attempts to schedule vaccinations. They found it nearly impossible to schedule appointments at times that could work for the entire family. Discouraged, they had needed to put...
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Community Leader Forges a Path
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Like many people she knew, Anahi was afraid of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. A mother of six, orchard worker, and chair of Unite Oregon’s Climate Justice Committee in Rogue Valley, she feared potential side effects. Unite Oregon works across the state to build a unified, intercultural movement for justice. They offered COVID-19 vaccine education and outreach training, and facilitated one-on-one conversations with vaccinated organizers for committee members like Anahi. After receiving updated...
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A Heathy Start in a New Country
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After arriving in the US, Guatemalan immigrant Juan found it difficult to access COVID-19 vaccination. Then he heard about the Central American Resource Education Center’s (CARECEN) Day Labor Center. In addition to connecting workers with employees in the Los Angeles area, the Center held a vaccine clinic staffed by PRIME clinic. In this safe and accessible place, Juan was vaccinated for COVID-19. He is now more comfortable searching for jobs and getting to know his community in his new city...
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“Old-School” Approach Succeeds in Remote Colorado Community
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In the rural community of Nederland, Colorado, many residents lack phone and internet access, and their transportation options are limited. These barriers make it challenging for people to get to a clinic to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. The Peak to Peak Housing and Human Services Alliance collaborated with The Metro Denver Partnership for Health to implement innovative approaches in this hard-to-reach population. That meant “going old school,” in the words of Katrina Harms, Peak to Peak Alliance...
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Caring Outreach to Immigrants from Guatemala
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Determined outreach paved the way for Centreville Immigration Forum (CIF) to provide welcoming vaccine clinics to their community of Guatemalan immigrants in Northern Virginia. While many community members were distrustful or ill-informed about the Covid-19 vaccines, health workers like Claudia Alvarez stepped in to listen and educate. She led a team that performed outreach to local schools, churches, stores, restaurants, and homes. Her team spoke the Guatemalan indigenous dialect Ixil with...
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Clothes to Keep You Warm, Vaccines to Keep You Healthy
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Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) provides services for unhoused residents in Chicago, including coat and clothing drives during the city’s bitterly cold winters. BPNC operates in the southwest Chicago neighborhood Brighton Park, primarily among a Latinx and immigrant community. And for Carmen, a BPNC health promoter, dispelling incorrect notions about ineligibility and unsafe vaccines has become second nature. For a clothing drive in October 2020, Carmen invited a man living on the...
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Small but Mighty Clinic Exceeds Expectations in Atlanta
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When Boat People SOS hosted vaccination event in November 2021 at a community church in Atlanta, Georgia, staff at the Vietnamese-American international nonprofit weren’t sure they would get a decent turnout. They advertised over the radio and Facebook and put up banners in the church, but they doubted their many volunteers from Emory School of Nursing and Mercer School of Pharmacy would have enough work to do. “Soon we found out that it was a good thing that we got a lot of help,” program...
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Trust in Faith Leaders Builds Vaccine Confidence
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Naeem Baig recalls the big question: “Just tell me, Imam, should I take the [COVID-19] vaccine?” Baig is outreach director for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in northern Virginia which serves a community of immigrants from all over the world. For many the Center serves, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, especially the more vulnerable members working in the service industry. Understanding the severe challenges facing these individuals and families, as well as the rapidly spreading misinformation...
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Black-owned Pharmacy Gets a Boost in East Durham
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Communities in Partnership sought to host local, equity-focused vaccination clinics, reaching their BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) neighbors in East Durham, North Carolina. They partnered with Russell’s Pharmacy, a Black-owned independent pharmacy struggling with a decline in customers due to the pandemic and competition with large medical systems and pharmacy chains. Russell’s Pharmacy handled the clinical side of the organization’s vaccination events and served as a community...
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Keeping Vaccines in Style
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Haircuts, vaccines, and a livestream? That was all a day’s work for Beacon Charitable Pharmacy, a non-profit pharmacy in northeastern Ohio. In partnership with four local, Black-owned barber and beauty shops, Beacon organized a livestream event in March to increase awareness of Beacon as a vaccine provider and to promote the availability of Covid-19 and flu vaccines at the pharmacy. The four-hour YouTube livestream included former NFL football player and local celebrity Kenny Peterson, as well...
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A Blueprint for a More Inclusive Future
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Able South Carolina is an organization staffed and led by those with disabilities that focuses on creating greater equity and inclusion for all people with disabilities. As part of their ongoing efforts to expand vaccine confidence and uptake, the organization has hosted seven “barrier free” COVID-19 and influenza vaccine clinics in 2022 that were designed to be easily accessible to all, including those with disabilities. The clinics included both Spanish and American Sign Language...
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Radio shows, podcasts and fitness events drive vaccinations in Baton Rouge
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To fight vaccine hesitancy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Black Alcoholism Council (BRBAC) built community partnerships with medical professionals, influential messengers, and radio broadcasters. Also known as Metro Health, BRBAC partnered with CareSouth to dispel Covid-19 myths and promote community vaccinations. The partnership began in September 2021 and included a community fitness event, vaccination event, radio shows, and podcasts. Partnership outreach, media strategies, and...
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Helping Local Families in East Tennessee
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When local Tennessee resident Reyna and her family were severely impacted by Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic, the 55-year-old Latina mom turned to Centro Hispano of East Tennessee. She and her family received health, housing, and food assistance. As Reyna became more involved in the Centro's programs, she also began to learn about their vaccine campaign. After learning that the vaccine was safe and effective and how to access it, Reyna and her family were vaccinated at Centro Hispano...
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Safe Circles Protect NY Communities
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Through video testimonials and trusted messengers, Action for a Better Community helped more than 500 individuals get vaccinated in their Rochester, New York, community. Protect Your Circle testimonials from community members were filmed by the organization and shared through social media and a community newsletter. “It was important for us to capture the journey from hesitancy to getting vaccinated and why someone decided to act after all,” said Shannon Kelly, coordinator of Protect Your Circle...
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Boston Faith-Based Alliance Offers Community Safe Spaces for Vaccination
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The BMA TenPoint alliance of churches, faith and community-based organizations serves diverse communities throughout the Greater Boston area. Through a recent initiative, Organizing for Health & Wealth, they often hold vaccine clinics in local churches in collaboration with community health centers. One member of Bethel A.M.E. church attended a BMA TenPoint summer clinic there. Initially apprehensive, she later told clinic staff that seeing the COVID-19 vaccine offered at her church helped her...
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Drag Queen Dazzles at Viva La Fiesta
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On April 9, 2022, Project EMPOWER of BEAT AIDS hosted a health fair called Viva La Fiesta. In contrast to more traditional fairs, this event delivered educational resources, screenings, and vaccinations in conjunction with a dramatic performance by Drag Queen Sasha Taylor Lord. Community members and partner organizations donated food and prizes, and a collaborator posed as “Max the Vax”—a human vaccination character who worked the crowd, sharing information about the importance of vaccination...
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Reaching Rural Communities Across Mississippi
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The Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health (IAMH) has partnered with local NAACP chapters across Mississippi to reach more rural counties and provide free access to the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as PPE, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and a range of educational materials. IAMH recently hosted a health fair in Amite County, MS. Rural counties are often underserved and can experience health disparities as a result of low access to services. The Amite County health fair allowed over...
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Puppets Join the Conversation in Philly’s Chinatown
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The team at the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation believes that one of the best ways to reach vaccine-hesitant people is through the arts. They created a campaign featuring two colorful puppet characters, Bo and Momo, who speak about issues related to vaccine hesitancy including fear, judgement, and family disagreements. The two characters were featured in the organization’s short YouTube videos, social media posts and various signs and flyers. Through partnerships with the Asian...
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Empanadas and Community Support are a Recipe for Success
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OLA of Eastern Long Island in New York has been working to bring COVID-19 vaccines to the most isolated areas of Long Island’s East End—a semi-rural resort area made up of small hamlets and villages. They are particularly proud of their vaccination event held on September 14, 2021, in the hamlet of Montauk located within the Town of East Hampton. For this event, they partnered with Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and East Hampton town to provide vaccines at the Montauk Playhouse—a large...
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Helping the Community Navigate Misinformation
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Ser Familia has been providing COVID-19 and influenza education and vaccination among Latinos who reside in the Atlanta Metro Area, with a special focus on those who have Limited English Proficiency. One of their community members, 66-year-old Mrs. E. Gonzalez, said that she had heard many wild theories about the vaccines, including the myth that the vaccines were going to be used to track undocumented people. She was being actively discouraged from getting the COVID-19 vaccine by some friends...
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The “Sandwich Approach” and Other Tips for Talking about Vaccine Hesitancy
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In April 2022, the Philippine Nurses Association of Michigan conducted an educational webinar that included a youth forum on how to best address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The panel was made up of five student leaders who shared their pandemic experiences along with their perspectives on how to effectively communicate information about the vaccines. The students suggested engaging in one-on-one dialogue and practicing active listening. One of the youth leaders also recommended using the...
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Easing the Concerns of Nursing Mothers
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Friends of Refugees partnered with Ethne Health for a “Lunch & Learn” event for women in the Afghan community to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 30 women attended and said they felt safe and comfortable asking questions. Friends of Refugees Community Engagement Manager Muzhda Oriakhil helped bring this group together and brought her own nursing baby to show other mothers in attendance how safe the vaccine is for nursing women.
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In the Year of the Water Tiger, a Community Finds Strength
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, when anti-Asian harassment and discrimination skyrocketed in the United States, the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce (CACC) in Twin Cities, MN knew decisive action was needed. The increase in anti-Asian harassment left Asian Pacific Minnesotans distrustful of the government and negatively impacted vaccination efforts. In order to support their community through this difficult time, CACC went to work, providing safe and trusted environments for community members...
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Too Determined to Fail
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Project Access Now focuses on filling gaps in the health care system, ensuring underserved individuals in the Portland, Oregon metro area have access to health care and services. But succeeding at this work can be an uphill climb. After one of their vaccination events at a local community center resulted in a low turnout, their vaccine provider backed out 3 days before their next event. The staff at Project Access Now sprang into action and contacted their state partner, the Oregon Health...
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Bringing the Community ‘Back to Health’
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In an effort to engage the community in health-related activities, Northwest New Jersey Community Action Program (Norwescap) hosted its first annual Back to Health fair in April 2022 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The free community event provided access to health screenings and immunizations for COVID-19 and Influenza. Twenty community partners participated, including essential service providers like the Warren County Public Library and Family Promise homelessness prevention, and offered...
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Mobile Vaccination Clinics Protect Hundreds From COVID-19
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A small neighborhood-based nonprofit, the Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley (HCLV) in Pennsylvania has built strong relationships with the Latino/a/x community they serve, offering a broad range of services including a food pantry, senior center, social services program, and a Women Infants and Children (WIC) program. As a trusted resource during the COVID-19 pandemic, they supported their community by disseminating public health information through information sessions and comprehensive TV...