Advancing Vaccine Equity

Feedback Labs | June 17, 2024

Share this:

In today’s rapidly evolving health landscape, ensuring vaccine equity remains a paramount challenge. SE2, an organization dedicated to building bridges to diverse communities, recently hosted a LabStorm to tackle these challenges head-on. Their focus: “Vaccination Equity: Building Bridges to Diverse Communities.” This session delved into past immunization efforts and current strategies aimed at fostering authentic, inclusive, and respectful community engagements.

SE2 is committed to advancing public health by promoting vaccine equity through genuine community engagement. Their work emphasizes collaboration with grantees, community partners, and trusted messengers to encourage vaccination uptake. SE2’s approach addresses the deep-seated issues of historic racism and ongoing discrimination that contribute to vaccine hesitancy, particularly within Latinx and rural communities. By leveraging partnerships and creating tailored content, SE2 strives to bridge gaps in vaccination coverage and promote health equity.

The primary challenge discussed during the LabStorm was how to authentically connect with diverse communities to foster vaccine equity. SE2 sought to enhance trust and support for vaccinations by addressing the unique needs and perspectives of different communities. The session focused on identifying effective strategies for community engagement, understanding and mitigating engagement challenges, creating conducive physical spaces for dialogue, and leveraging strategic frameworks for deeper participation.

Authentic Community Engagement

Participants emphasized the need for SE2 to further operationalize authentic community engagement by including diverse voices in decision-making processes. This involves tailoring content to meet specific community needs and ensuring that the engagement is genuinely reflective of the communities served. One suggestion was to partner with local leaders and organizations to gain deeper insights and foster trust within the community. For example, SE2 discussed their efforts to understand and address vaccine hesitancy within the Latinx community, which was more about access issues rather than reluctance to get vaccinated. They highlighted the importance of validating research through direct community engagement rather than relying solely on national data.

Engagement Challenges

A significant point of discussion was the various challenges SE2 faces in connecting authentically with communities. These include understanding the size and dynamics of the community, managing expectations, and creating safe spaces for dialogue. Participants suggested that SE2 could benefit from establishing advisory committees and leveraging technology, such as online platforms, to gather initial feedback before engaging with community-based organizations (CBOs). This approach could help streamline the process and make it more efficient. For instance, SE2 learned that Denver’s CBOs were inundated with requests, making it difficult to repeatedly engage the same organizations. Additionally, participants noted the importance of considering community-specific issues, such as language barriers and the availability of Spanish-speaking providers.

Cultivating Physical Spaces for Engagement

Creating physical spaces that foster relationship-building and community engagement was another critical area of focus. The discussion highlighted the importance of ensuring these spaces are safe, welcoming, and reflective of the community’s emotional and psychological needs. Participants recommended involving community members in the design and setup of these spaces to promote ownership and comfort. SE2’s experience in creating content tailored to the Latinx community, including more engaging visuals and culturally relevant materials, was discussed as a successful strategy. Moreover, the idea of transforming advisory meetings into spaces for peer-learning and collaboration was proposed to enhance the sense of community and shared purpose.

Key Takeaways

Leverage Local Partnerships: Engaging with local leaders and organizations can provide invaluable insights and help build trust within the community. SE2’s efforts to collaborate with community leaders to address vaccine access rather than hesitancy exemplify this approach.
Streamline Feedback Collection: Utilize technology and online platforms to gather preliminary feedback, reducing the burden on CBOs and making the process more efficient. For example, SE2 considered using tools like TalkWalker to gather online community sentiments before formal engagement.
Design Inclusive Spaces: Involve community members in the creation of physical engagement spaces to ensure they are welcoming and conducive to open dialogue. The idea of having advisory committees and tailoring physical spaces to reflect the needs of the community was emphasized as crucial for successful engagement.
Manage Expectations and Close the Loop: Clearly communicate the roles and expectations of community partners to avoid misunderstandings. Ensuring that feedback is integrated into projects and that results are shared back with the community can help build trust and demonstrate the value of their input.
Pilot Innovative Approaches: Testing new methods like SMS feedback or following specific customer profiles over time can provide deeper insights into user experiences and needs. This approach can help SE2 identify and address specific challenges faced by different community segments.

This LabStorm with SE2 highlighted the importance of authentic community engagement in promoting vaccine equity. The actionable suggestions provided by attendees will help SE2 refine their strategies and enhance their impact. By continuing to foster trust and collaboration with diverse communities, SE2 is making significant strides towards achieving health equity.

Have you experienced similar challenges in feedback collection and user engagement? Sign up to present at your own LabStorm here or reach out to us at [email protected].

Learn More About LabStorms

LabStorms are collaborative problem-solving sessions designed to help organizations tackle feedback-related challenges or share what’s working well in their practice.