Bright Spot Briefing: Breaking Down Access Barriers

The COVID-19 vaccination rate is nearly three times higher for white people than communities of color and that gap continues to widen — despite communities of color being disproportionately affected by infections and deaths. Challenges in vaccine access and availability are further complicating distribution, particularly for institutions that have struggled to gain the trust of people of color. With all U.S. adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 19th, trusted community-based workforces and hyper local data are even more critical to keeping equity at the forefront of vaccine distribution and breaking down accessibility barriers.

In this webinar brought to you by the Vaccine Equity Cooperative, panelists share national perspectives on vaccine equity efforts, and spotlight local successes and lessons learned from communities in California and Florida, including:

• Leveraging the strengths of promotoras to build trust and expand access;
• Using data dashboards and heat maps to remove access barriers;
• Deploying community-tailored messaging to spread the word.

Presenters 

1. Denise Octavia Smith, MBA, BS, CHW, PN, SFC, Executive Director, National Association of Community Health Workers (Moderator)
2. Lauren Smith, Chief Health Equity and Strategy Officer, CDC Foundation
3. Julie Pedretti, MBA, FACHE, APR, COVID-19 Community Relations Director, Healthcare Network
4. Caroline Murtaugh, Project Manager, US Public Health Accompaniment Unit at Partners in Health
5. Camey Christenson, Chief Business Development Officer, 211 San Diego

Download the Presentation Slides

Watch the Recording