The Vaccine Communication Demands on Community-Based Workforces

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Community Engagement

Background:

• Community-based organizations (CBOs) face unprecedented demand for health and social services.
• Frontline CBO employees are key sources of COVID-19 vaccine information but often lack resources and training.
• Increased need for services and information strains CBO workforces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline collaborative short-term approaches addressing communication challenges faced by CBOs.
• To share lessons learned from implementing communication support systems for CBOs.
• To advocate for long-term structural changes to enhance community-level communication support.

Main Methods:

• Collaboration between three organizations: New York Vaccine Literacy Campaign, Hunger Free NYC, and Health Leads.
• Development and implementation of key short-term communication support strategies.
• Documentation of processes, anticipated outcomes, and lessons learned.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of collaborative short-term approaches to support CBOs.
• Identification of effective strategies for enhancing vaccine information dissemination.
• Gathering of valuable insights for future communication support initiatives.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive communication support system is the most effective response to CBO challenges.
• Collaboration and resource allocation are crucial for strengthening CBOs' capacity.
• Advocacy for long-term structural changes is needed to sustain community-level communication support.