Increasing vaccine confidence by meeting underserved communities where they are 

PROBLEM: 

When the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began, it was a gleam of light at the end of the tunnel. The pandemic has underscored the health and racial disparities faced by our Black, Latinx and Native American communities. And this was the opportunity to save lives and get back to precious moments with friends and family. But even with the rollout underway, three main culprits prevented vaccine uptake in these multicultural communities: misinformation, lack of access, and mistrust. So how could we change the narrative and increase vaccinations for these groups?  

INSIGHT:

Contrary to media reporting, these communities are not a monolith. Each group has different barriers and motivators. And with so much distrust in the mainstream media, we knew a typical awareness campaign wouldn’t work. Equity is all about being on the ground and meeting people where they are, in the language that they speak. So, we needed a grassroots, multi-channel approach that connected trusted voices and information to the people who needed it most.  

IDEA: 

In partnership with community-based leaders and organizations, we launched Better Tomorrow, a platform focused on improving the lives of Black, Latinx, and Native American communities. Our platform became a destination for trusted vaccine resources. Through community-specific toolkits, we provided culturally-competent information and galvanized these communities around something we can all agree on – our desire to have a better tomorrow. Today, we’ve strengthened our relationships with community groups and built trust among diverse communities. And this is only the beginning. We are expanding our efforts to increase vaccine confidence not just for now, but for all future vaccines. Because we want every tomorrow to be better than today.