Amidst deep federal program cuts, and the third measles death in just three months, it’s been a difficult week for public health. Health workers are striving to keep the importance of vaccination top of mind in their communities: Vaccination is the most effective way to protect themselves and their loved ones from vaccine preventable diseases like measles, whooping cough, COVID-19, RSV, and the flu.
But with vaccination rates in decline, especially for children, everyone is at greater risk of getting sick.
Over the last few months, community-based organizations working to get more people vaccinated shared with PGN the tactics and tools they use to continue their work.
Here are some important takeaways from those discussions:
Invest in deeper listening.
How often does your CBO hold listening sessions with the people you serve? Whether it’s through polling, sitting down with parent groups, or monitoring your organization’s social media channels—our conversations with health workers from Autism Society of Minnesota, the Somali Parents Autism Network, and the Idaho Immunization Coalition cited the importance of listening as much as possible to understand vaccine sentiment and define what cultural approaches they may need to use.
“We consistently hold listening sessions. We do them in English and Spanish if we need to, and we go around—and I’m talking about the southern part of the state—and bring people together,” said Karen Jachimowski Sharpnack, executive director of the Idaho Immunization Coalition.
“We’ll bring eight or 10 people together, and we’ll spend a couple of hours with them. We feed them and we also pay them to be there. We say, ‘We want to hear from you about what you’re hearing about vaccines, what your views are if you’re vaccinated.’ And these sessions are extremely informational. For one, we learn about the misinformation that goes out there, like immediately. And two, we’re able to then focus [on how to respond]. If we’re hearing this, what kind of media campaign do we need to get together?”
Ask yourself how can your work be more inclusive?
Alex Wood, a doula from Michigan who focuses on helping families who are disabled, have chronic illnesses, or have compromised immune systems, emphasized the importance of centering high-risk groups to ensure vaccine equity and easier access for everybody.
“The marginalized group that I don’t hear talked about enough are disabled and immunocompromised people, and their access to vaccines. The hesitancy I see in this group is not, ‘Do I get the vaccine?’ but, ‘How do I access it safely?’ she said.
“The idea that someone with little to no immune system is expected to sit in close quarters while someone sits right there, breathing in their face and refusing to mask, poses a real question for people. Is it worth the risk of getting the disease [from exposure at the appointment] that I’m trying to mitigate harm from by vaccinating? The biggest problem I see is that when people directly ask for access, for support, they’re turned down.”
Consider your CBO’s role in vaccine advocacy.
For many CBOs, vaccine outreach in their communities is second nature, but knowing how or if to advocate for vaccine policy change in their state may feel scary. But Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer at The Immunization Partnership, says it doesn’t have to be.
“[Health workers] advocate on an everyday basis, and so there really is no mystery to it,” she said. “From a childhood vaccination standpoint, I don’t want us going down a road where all the amazing work everyone has done over the last 50, 60, 70 years supporting public health—you know, supporting families to get their kids vaccinated—to see that completely undone and done in vain. That’s why we all have to really work together and put up a united front that enough is enough.”
This article is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award to the CDC Foundation totaling $69,392,486 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government. In addition, the CDC Foundation does not guarantee and is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of information or content contained in this article. Moreover, the CDC Foundation expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within this article. This article are not intended as, and should not be interpreted by you as, constituting or implying the CDC Foundation’s endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of the information, products, or services found therein.