Talk, trust and transportation helps in getting out 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.

One rural hospital in Indiana vaccinated hundreds of immigrants from Central America by working with trusted community leaders and setting up a Hispanic Health Task Force. Health officials held vaccine clinics alongside trusted community members at locations that were familiar to residents, like a local Catholic church that offers Spanish-language services. The hospital and task force initially established community connections to distribute information about COVID-19, so they were able to utilize the connections to increase vaccination rates once the vaccine rolled out.

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.

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%.

Members of Asociación Cultural Latino-Acadiana and the Rotary Club of Lafayette North went door-to-door in neighborhoods that are home to Spanish-speaking households to find people eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. After compiling a list of unvaccinated residents who wanted the shot, they coordinated with the Department of Health to organize three vaccine events. The events were held within the communities, which eased transportation burdens and the inability to take time off of work. The presence of interpreters also helped ease residents’ concerns of being able to communicate with the medical providers.

Accredited social health activists (ASHA) across India fight COVID-19 related misinformation on WhatsApp. ASHAs provide basic health care to people in their villages, which puts them on the frontline of treating COVID-19 patients and educating people to dispel the many myths about the virus and its treatments. ASHAs' local interactions often identify prevailing myths, which they quickly dispel in their face-to-face exchanges and by posting in the many local WhatsApp groups that have been created. The local groups have been an effective mode of educating people and helped ASHAs gain villagers’ trust.

The Shelby County Voter Alliance, who was used to using publicly available information to run get-out-the-vote and voter registration drives, pivoted to door-knocking to increase vaccination rates. Using a grant from Civic Nation’s Made to Save initiative, SCVA went to people’s homes to answer questions about vaccines and let them know about community vaccination pop-ups. They worked with local churches and set up at a Juneteenth celebration, where vaccines were offered. While canvassing, volunteers use a “research-based script” from Made to Save that especially helps them talk with “hesitant people.”

Toronto’s Vaccine Engagement Teams Grant has awarded $5.5 million to community organizations in 140 neighborhoods to hire and train local ambassadors for vaccine outreach. Because the ambassadors share a lived experience with the communities, they can effectively identify the barriers people face. The on-the-ground effort includes sharing information, advocating for community needs, and helping people access services. The outreach focuses on people often overlooked by government services, such as unhoused people and people who do not speak English or have precarious immigration status.

Community health workers are a key part of Connecticut's public health response to COVID-19, particularly in marginalized communities. CHWs connect people to health care and other services, like rental assistance, help with contact tracing, and effectively increased vaccinations by taking the time to answer questions and dispel misinformation. Living in the communities they serve is a critical part of the model’s success and helps clients trust them more readily. The state now offers a CHW certification program, but the largely grant-funded model would be more sustainable with steady funding.