Building Trust, Boosting Vaccination Rates in Minneapolis

Human services organization Pillsbury United Communities prides itself on successfully building community trust and relationships to support medically underserved populations in the Minneapolis metropolitan region. In 2022, thanks to a robust Community Health Worker program and standout individuals sharing factual information about COVID-19 and flu vaccines, immunization rates rose in three metro communities. One senior community member from the Brian Coyle Center in Cedar-Riverside shared that he was hesitant to get vaccinated until he engaged with a trusted community health worker. “When this person speaks in the community, people listen,” explained Pillsbury United’s Director of Community Health, Awol Windissa.“The trust built over years enabled a quick change in vaccination habits among the people we serve.”