National Network of Immunization Coalitions

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Register now! IAC will host the Immunization Coalitions Network webinar “Immunization Coalitions Funding: Strategies and Best Practices” on August 17

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) will host the Immunization Coalitions Network webinar titled Immunization Coalitions Funding: Strategies and Best Practices on August 17 at 1:00 p.m. (ET). This webinar will focus on real-world strategies that immunization coalitions can use to secure funding. Amy Callis, BA, MPH, principle/owner of Devi Partners, will discuss strategies and framing that make organizations more appealing to funders. Debbie McCune Davis, BS, director for The Arizona Partnership for Immunization, and Lisa Robertson, MPH, executive director of the Indiana Immunization Coalition will provide overviews on how their coalitions are funded as well as share successful strategies for securing funding.

Register for the webinar.

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Immunize Kansas Coalition expands reach and partnerships through micro-influencer campaigns

Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) launched its Instagram channel, immunizekscoalition, on Kansas Day, January 29, 2021. Once IKC Instagram hit 100 followers, they began reaching out to Kansas influencers for collaborations. IKC staff vetted hundreds of Instagram accounts. Upon selecting a vetted account that seemed promising, a brief Instagram message was sent explaining that IKC is looking to work with influencers as part of a vaccine confidence project and asking if they were interested in collaborating. With each collaboration, IKC provided the influencer with guidelines for the types of messages they wanted while giving plenty of freedom and flexibility for them to craft the post in their own voice to best resonate with their followers.

Here are some lessons learned from this influencer collaboration to help coalitions spread positive vaccine messages:

• Connect with accounts that are seemingly totally unrelated to vaccinations or other work your organization does
• Lifestyle influencers not committed to a particular brand or company were more likely to respond
• Review an account’s recent posts and follower list to determine if you would want to collaborate with them
• Be brief in your messages to reach out to influencers
• Call it a collaboration; it should benefit both of you
• Give influencers freedom to come up with their own messages
• Ask them to tag you in the post and encourage their followers to follow your account
• Use a contract to set the terms of the collaboration. This protects both you and the influencer. IKC is happy to share their contract template
• Consider starting with a “standard” offer for payment, but leave room for negotiation if needed
• People not interested in your cause will politely decline or not respond
• Follow up and consider developing a lasting relationship with influencers; they could become long-term vaccine champions
• Connect influencers to others to elevate the reach of their stories

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Voices for Vaccines offers weekly National Immunization Awareness Month partner newsletters—sign up now!

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This annual observance highlights the efforts of healthcare professionals to protect patients of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases through on-time vaccination. Voices for Vaccines offers a weekly newsletter during the month of August with weekly tasks, ideas, sample posts, and images to help you take full advantage of NIAM and get the word out about the importance of vaccination.

Subscribe to this newsletter.

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Montgomery County Immunization Coalition launches an “AmVAXador Program” to build a network of volunteers to share COVID-19 vaccine information

The Montgomery County Immunization Coalition launched their AmVAXador Program to build a network of volunteer AmVAXadors to share COVID-19 vaccine information with their networks to help educate their communities about COVID-19 vaccination.

AmVAXadors receive community engagement training on how to best communicate to the public about COVID-19 vaccines and tips on communicating via social media. They also receive regular email updates that include materials from credible sources to share with their family, friends, peers, and social networks.

Find multi-language resources, social media toolkits, training, videos, and a clinic flier on the AmVAXador Program website.

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Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families hosted Q&A for parents of immunocompromised and medically fragile children in July; recording available

In July, Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families hosted a question-and-answer event for parents of children who are immunocompromised or medically fragile. The event has been posted on their YouTube channel.

Related Links

• Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families: Five Ways Employers Can Encourage Their Employees to Get Vaccinated (8/2/21)
• Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families: Returning to Campus? Get a Healthy Start by Vaccinating Your College Student (7/19/21)

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WithinReach, Washington State Department of Health, and the Former Soviet Union Vaccine Hesitancy Community Workgroup partner to create a new educational course; CE available

WithinReach and the Washington State Department of Health, in partnership with the Former Soviet Union Vaccine Hesitancy Community Workgroup, announced a new continuing education course, Fostering COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence in Russian- and Ukrainian-Speaking Communities. This free course is designed to help healthcare providers who work with Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking patients better address vaccine hesitancy and foster COVID-19 vaccine confidence within these communities. CME, CNE, and CE for medical assistants is available upon completion of this course. The course is free, but registration is required.

Register for the course.

Indiana Immunization Coalition hosts webinar “How Political Partisanship Impacts Vaccination” on September 1; CE available

The Indiana Immunization Coalition is offering a webinar titled How Political Partisanship Impacts Vaccination on September 1 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). This webinar features Brian Castrucci, DrPH, MA, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation, discussing how partisan divides may be affecting herd immunity, and how to achieve the best public health outcomes. CME, CNE, and CPE will be offered upon completion of the course.

Register for the course.

Immunize South Dakota offers annual statewide conference “Getting Back on Track” on September 10

Immunize South Dakota is hosting their 5th annual state-wide, in-person event titled Immunize South Dakota Conference: Getting Back on Track on September 10 from 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (CT). This in-person conference is intended to promote immunizations throughout South Dakota by supporting healthcare providers through education and community outreach resources. Session topics will include vaccine innovations, increasing vaccine confidence, addressing rates of adult and adolescent immunizations, combating vaccine misinformation, and the most recent information on the COVID-19 vaccine. Attendees will also hear a state epidemiology update from the South Dakota Department of Health. There is a fee to register for this event.

More information, including registration information, can be found on the event webpage.

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ImmunizeVA holds annual meeting “Lessons Learned from the Pandemic and Implications for the Future” with keynote speaker Paul Offit, MD, on September 24 

ImmunizeVA will hold its annual meeting on September 24 from 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (ET) both virtually and in-person in the Richmond metro area. The theme of this year’s meeting is Lessons Learned from the Pandemic and Implications for the Future and will feature Paul Offit, MD, as the keynote speaker.

Pre-register for this event.

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Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

CDC releases its 12th “COVID-19 State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report”

On July 26, CDC released the twelfth edition of its COVID-19 State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report. CDC regularly creates reports about the status of COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the United States, emphasizing major themes that influence vaccine confidence and uptake. The reports include analyses of multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources, ranging from social listening and web metrics to immunization survey data and CDC-INFO inquiries. The reports seek to identify emerging issues of misinformation, disinformation, and places where intervention efforts can positively increase vaccine confidence across the United States.

To receive this report in your inbox, email eocevent515@cdc.gov.

Related Link

• CDC: Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines web page

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NFID hosts webinar “#VaxxedForClass: The Importance of Routine Immunizations” on August 17

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is offering a webinar titled #VaxxedForClass: The Importance of Routine Immunizations on August 17 from 12:00–1:00 p.m. (ET). Panelists will present data on immunization coverage and discuss strategies to increase immunization rates due to the disruption in routine vaccinations from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no fee to participate in this activity, but pre-registration is required.

Register for the event.

Related Link

• NFID: Keep Up the Rates campaign web page

Save the Date: Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the Association of Immunization Managers host virtual symposium “School-Located Vaccination Strategies to Increase Child and Adolescent Immunization Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic” on September 16

The Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) will hold a virtual symposium titled “School-Located Vaccination Strategies to Increase Child and Adolescent Immunization Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic” on September 16 from 1:00–5:00 p.m. (ET). The symposium will bring together public health officials, leaders in K-12 education, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders from across the immunization community to share best practices for improving childhood and adolescent immunization rates in school settings. Speakers will discuss innovative models and lessons learned for school-located COVID-19 vaccination sites, communications strategies for engaging families and building vaccine confidence and opportunities to strengthen partnerships between public health, education, and healthcare providers to improve child and adolescent vaccination rates.

This event will be free and open to the public, and a meeting agenda with more details is forthcoming. Please email katie.huber@duke.edu with any questions.

This event is being sponsored in part by The Rockefeller Foundation.

AIM and NPHIC develop separate “Immunization Communication Resource Portals” featuring talking points, messages, and materials to support your communication efforts

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) has developed an Immunization Communications Resource Portal and the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) has also developed a separate Immunization Communications Resource Portal. Both resource portals share talking points, messages, and other materials to support your jurisdiction’s vaccine-related communications efforts. The portals aim to increase information sharing and collaboration between public information officers and immunization program managers related to COVID-19, influenza, and routine vaccination.

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Families Against COVID-19 initiative posts video “Wondering Why You Should Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?” in English and Spanish, and offers a limited number of free community action kits to support education efforts

The Families Against COVID-19 Initiative, a joint initiative of The Kimberly Coffey Foundation and The Emily Stillman Foundation, has posted a pro-vaccine video from the perspective of families across the United States who have each lost a loved one to a vaccine-preventable disease. The video, now available in both English and Spanish, highlights the importance of getting your family the COVID-19 vaccine so that you do not lose a loved one to a disease that is now preventable. Please share this video across your social media platforms!

The initiative encourages coalitions and advocates to use the video for their own COVID-19 vaccine outreach efforts.

To get involved and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your neighborhood, you can join the Families Against COVID-19 community and receive a free action kit full of educational goodies to support your education efforts. To sign up and request your free kit, please visit https://us17.list-manage.com/survey?id=5713e90ac3&u=76b4fcf31ff15a0f5229019bc. Supplies are limited. At this time, the initiative can only ship to the United States.

Related Links

• Families Against COVID-19 Initiative: Wondering Why You Should Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? YouTube video
• Families Against COVID-19 Initiative website
• The Kimberly Coffey Foundation website
• The Emily Stillman Foundation website

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RAO Community Health releases Educate to Vaccine educational communications toolkit to build vaccine confidence in the Black community

RAO Community Health released a multi-layered educational communications toolkit Educate to Vaccinate to build vaccine confidence in the Black community.

 Educate to Vaccinate educational toolkit aims to:

• Address myths and misperceptions about flu and COVID-19 vaccines
• Raise awareness of the burden of flu and COVID-19 while living with a chronic health condition
• Empower people to build vaccine confidence by learning information from credible sources

Social media graphics and print collateral were designed to be shared within local organizations, businesses, and by community members.

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American College Health Association offers Student Ambassador Toolkit to engage students in the COVID-19 response

The American College Health Association (ACHA) has developed a Student Ambassador Toolkit to promote healthy behaviors and stop the spread of COVID-19 on campus. Student ambassadors can be a powerful force for behavior change on campus. They make a commitment to educate their campus community about COVID-19 and help everyone stay healthy and safe.

Student ambassadors can use the planning guide, communication plan, student workshop, and campaign materials in the Student Ambassador Toolkit to teach other students how to follow campus guidelines, socialize safely, and cope with the stress of readjusting to campus life.

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VYF’s Shot of Prevention releases new blog posts 

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) hosts a blog, Shot of Prevention, where people come to discuss news and views on vaccines. Check out the most recent blog posts on Shot of Prevention:

• How to Talk to Unvaccinated Friends and Family (8/5/21)
• Guillain-Barré and COVID Vaccines: What’s Going On? (8/2/21)
• Video Q&A: Vaccines during Pregnancy (7/18/21)

Subscribe to Shot of Prevention to get the latest blog posts to your inbox.

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These recent articles feature coalition activities and other stories of interest to coalitions

• Texas A&M Today: Texas A&M Health, DSHS Award $10 Million in Grants to Support Vaccination Efforts across State (7/29/21)
• National Conference of State Legislatures: Vaccine Policy Toolkit (7/26/21)
• Johns Hopkins University: Carrying Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination Forward: Guidance Informed by Communities of Color (7/14/21)
• Daily Journal: Coalition Helps Schools Set Up Shots (7/20/21)
• Washington Post: Coalition Says Health Workers Should Be Required to Get Coronavirus Vaccine (7/13/21)

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Stay up to date by subscribing to IAC Express, encourage your coalition’s members to subscribe to IAC’s IZ Coalitions Network News, and please make sure your coalition’s information is up to date on immunizationcoalitions.org, the website of the National Network of Immunization Coalitions

Be sure you’re subscribed to IAC Express!
IAC Express is the free weekly e-newsletter produced by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC). IAC Express keeps you informed about new and updated vaccine recommendations from CDC and new vaccine licensures by the FDA. You’ll read about newly posted Vaccine Information Statements and their translations, and new immunization education materials from IAC, CDC, AAP, and others. It also provides updates on online and in-person educational opportunities, many offering free continuing education credit. To subscribe, simply provide your name and email address at www.immunize.org/subscribe. We will never share your contact information.

Urge your coalition members to sign up for IZ Coalitions Network News!
IZ Coalitions Network News is a monthly e-newsletter for the National Network of Immunization Coalitions that features news of interest to immunization coalitions and nonprofit organizations, including advocacy opportunities, legislative efforts, immunization resources, educational offerings, and local, state, and national conference information. IZ Coalitions Network News is available to coalition members and nonprofit staff, and all people who work with immunization coalitions. To subscribe, send a request to info@immunizationcoalitions.org asking to be included. The National Network of Immunization Coalitions is a project of the Immunization Action Coalition.

Make sure your coalition is listed and your information is up to date on immunizationcoalitions.org

The National Network for Immunization Coalitions website at www.immunizationcoalitions.org is a place to learn about immunization coalitions and nonprofit organizations, their locations, missions, activities, newsletters, and how to engage with them. The website promotes the activities of immunization coalitions and nonprofits, offers resources of importance to the network, and provides a searchable online database of local, state, regional, and national immunization coalitions. Interested supporters of immunization can find contacts, resources, ideas, and volunteer opportunities. There are now 141 immunization coalitions and nonprofits listed on this website; view their pages here. If your coalition is not listed, or your information needs to be updated, please email info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

New coalitions and nonprofits are encouraged to include their information on the National Network for Immunization Coalitions website. Updated information can be added at any time by emailing info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

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