How to integrate community leaders into pandemic preparedness

To help protect the predominantly Black community in Sedgwick County, Kansas, the county collaborated with local leaders and residents to create an information and messaging campaign that specifically addressed community concerns. Although the funding allocated to these efforts wasn't as plentiful as community leaders were asking for, the targeted outreach has helped to increase communication and trust around public health messaging.

In Kern County, where pregnancy-related mortality rates are more than double the California average and Black mothers face life-threatening complications at nearly three times the rate of white women, community doulas are working to bridge the gap between patients and the medical system. Since California expanded Medi-Cal coverage to include doula services in January 2023, more than 1,400 doulas have enrolled statewide, with active training pipelines building the workforce locally.

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing's Mental Health First Aid for Rural Communities trains local residents to recognize mental health warning signs and provide critical support until professional help arrives. The program equips non-medical community members with skills to spot crises, have supportive conversations, and navigate people to appropriate resources. In central New York alone, more than 6,000 people have been trained across 10 rural counties, providing life-saving interventions, particularly in areas where emergency services are hard to access.

The Care Now Clinic, established by Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio, offers early crisis intervention services for those ages 12 and up, helping bridge the care gap between emergency rooms and waiting to see a physician. The group also recently launched a mobile crisis unit to even further expand access to care. Research shows these models cost less, reduce emergency room visits and make handling chronic conditions more manageable.

Community health workers from One World have gained community trust over the years and now go door-to-door to talk with residents about the COVID-19 vaccine and dispel misinformation. They provide resources in Spanish and carry vaccines in a refrigerated bag so residents can get vaccinated on the spot. The group has invested a lot of money, time, and personnel having intensely personal conversations with people. They also host pop-up clinics in the community and allow at-home vaccination appointments. The areas served by One World has seen more vaccinations than almost anywhere else in Nebraska.

Community groups in under-vaccinated areas helped tens of thousands of people get vaccinated, made slightly easier since the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and more employers requiring it. Nonprofits like the Bronx Rising Initiative, Vision Urbana, and Union Settlement are trusted messengers that have a long-standing presence in their communities. They understand their communities' needs and speak their language - both literally and figuratively. The groups conducted door-to-door educational outreach, signed people up for appointments and held community events where people could get the vaccine.

The Greater Lowell Health Alliance offered COVID-19 vaccines using a “block party” model where community members enjoy free food, music, activities, and even childcare, while also having access to information about vaccines in multiple languages as well as the ability to actually get vaccinated. This model reduced barriers for immigrants, refugees, and other people who don’t speak English fluently, as well as caregivers who can’t attend vaccine appointments due to their caregiving responsibilities. The relaxed environment, where loved ones can support each other, increased comfort with getting the vaccine.

To increase vaccination rates among Reno’s Latino/a population, organizers conducted outreach with congregants at a local church that offers Spanish-language masses. Confidence in clinic locations and feeling safe due to immigration status presented as the biggest obstacles keeping people from getting vaccinated, so organizers used the church to hold pop-up clinics. The initial outreach helped build trust and gave organizers a chance to provide information and answer questions. Hundreds turned out for each clinic and the vaccination rate among the surrounding Latino/a community increased from 22% to 41%.

Building trust, engaging in personal conversations, and providing services that reduce barriers to getting vaccinated have helped increase the COVID-19 vaccination rates in some Cleveland neighborhoods. Posting information in local businesses and apartment building allows people to access information in private. Community health workers also meet people where they are in order to build relationships and gain their trust. Many community groups and health workers offer services that reduce common barriers to getting vaccinated, like transportation, child care, and wage replacement for taking time off.

In India, citizen-led small-scale digital efforts are helping to connect Covid-19 patients with the resources, supplies, and medical equipment they need to survive. The citizen groups are largely using online platforms to crowdsource what they need, with some matching buyers and sellers and others "debunking inaccurate leads."