Success at a Glance
Explore this collection of brief stories celebrating the innovations and accomplishments of our partners as they work to create healthier and more resilient communities.
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Success at a Glance
From Paper and Clay: Boston Teens Craft the Science of Vaccines
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One of YMCA of Greater Boston‘s successful youth leadership programs trains teenagers to be influential community messengers about health and well-being, such as the importance of vaccinations. In the spring of 2023, as part of their training, 8 youth members learned how the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine works by building physical models of the molecule out of materials like shredded paper and modeling clay. Later, the teenagers were able to share their newfound knowledge directly with community members...
Success at a Glance
Tackling Health Disparities with Teamwork
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Latino community-based organization PASOs has successfully teamed up with like-minded groups to provide greater health access to Latino communities in South Carolina. The program has a longstanding partnership with the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health and operates out of its university campus headquarters in Columbia. Starting in the fall of 2022, as part of its flu and COVID-19 vaccine outreach in low-income Hispanic communities, PASOs began collaborating with PRISM...
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Partnerships Fill Gaps in Community Health
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As a successful funding organization committed to improving health access for the uninsured and underinsured, Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (IAFCC) helps foster strategic partnerships to better serve its community. In the spring of 2023, IAFCC spearheaded the collaboration between two Chicago-based clinics CommunityHealth and Mobile Care Chicago to provide COVID-19 and flu vaccines to both adults and children. Mobile Care is a mobile clinic that works mostly with Chicago...
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“Alaska ‘Bout It” Gives Teens a Voice
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As part of Anchorage-based Spirit of Youth’s programming for young adults, Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI) helped journalists-in-training to produce a new radio program around the topic of COVID-19. Titled “Alaska ‘Bout It,” the show aired twice a month in 2021-2022 on University of Alaska Anchorage’s radio station 88.1 FM, allowing youth producers from ATMI to reach a new audience with the latest COVID-19 vaccine information. For each show, producers interviewed community members, including...
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Artwork Sparks Conversation, Not Confrontation
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To engage its audience and help overcome COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in 2022, Virginia-based Tidewater Arts Outreach (TAO) sponsored an arts competition and exhibit called “Knowledge is an Art Form.”One of the participating artists was both immunocompromised and vaccine hesitant, and her piece, titled “Conversational, Not Confrontational” explored both sides of her personal situation. When TAO installed the first exhibition in August 2022, they discovered that the piece resonated strongly with...
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Giving It Their Best Shot in New York
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To help educate and empower kids in New York City around COVID-19 vaccination, arts organization Sing for Hope wrote and produced “Don’t Throw Away Your Shot,” an original musical that addresses the topic of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and confidence. Written for a young audience under the age of 13, the musical takes place in a school cafeteria where two students, the school janitor, and an adult lunch worker share their personal vaccine-related stories. In 2022, Sing for Hope performed the...
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COVID Film Showcases the Comfort in Community
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To highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on African-American communities in the Southeast, Atlanta-based Out of Hand Theater produced a narrative film in 2022 that helped bring culturally relevant artistic engagements, public health messaging and public health leaders to vaccination events in Georgia. The film, titled “Comfort,” features a family coping with loss during the pandemic and was released during the summer of 2022. One screening took place as part of a community health fair...
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Finding Their Voices, One Photograph at a Time
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To provide a creative outlet for healing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) worked with Latino communities in three rural Northern California counties and encouraged them to document their own lives during the pandemic with photos. In partnership with PhotoVoice in June 2022, MCN taught participants basic photography skills and hosted companion discussion groups to provide a safe place for open conversations. In one of their adult groups, participants often discussed...
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Foster Kid Creators Shine
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Kids in the Spotlight, Inc. (KITS) is a specialized Southern-California arts education program focused on empowering youth in foster care by teaching them how to tell their stories through film. In 2022, KITS’s Script-to-Screen program funded the production of public service announcements (PSAs) about the pandemic, created, directed, and produced by youth creators. As part of the production process, participants engaged in listening sessions around COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy. As a result...
Success at a Glance
Chalk for Change: Music School Turns Art into Vaccination Success
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When the Community Music School of Springfield (CMSS) sensed its community was growing tired of routine vaccination information campaigns, they decided to do something new. The non-profit arts school in Western Massachusetts tried a combination it knew best: arts and community building. In July 2022, CMSS hosted “Chalk for Change,” a community festival that featured dozens of artists creating chalk drawings, different genres of music, dance, and kids’ activities alongside health services...
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Superbloom: Community Bonds Flourish with Local Theatre Project
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As part of its efforts to support rural communities in the Cuyama Valley of California, Blue Sky Sustainable Living Center launched “Superbloom,” a community theatre production about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the importance of neighborly connections in divisive times. Starting in January 2022, 35 Cuyama residents of all ages participated in the project as paid co-creators through workshops in script writing, set building and general story-telling. The months-long project culminated with...
Success at a Glance
Art Gallery Sparks Community Engagement in Florida
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The Yellow House art gallery in Jacksonville, Florida is a unique civic space committed to connecting art with community building through partnerships and outreach. For one community member, the Yellow House gallery was also his lifeline. In 2022, he started making regular visits to the gallery’s Community Cart which offers free fresh produce, books, art supplies, messages of encouragement, hygiene products, plants and other items. In August 2022, the man stopped by the Yellow House on the same...
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Mississippi Sisterhood Protects Moms and Newborns
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Sisters in Birth is a Jackson-based pregnancy and birth clinic committed to keeping moms and babies alive and healthy in Mississippi, a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the U.S. To help reduce sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and COVID-19 infections in moms and their babies, Sisters in Birth launched a new partnership in the spring of 2023 with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection and UnitedHealthcare. Thanks to the collaboration, Sisters in Birth organized...
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Building Trust, Boosting Vaccination Rates in Minneapolis
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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...
Success at a Glance
Haven’t Ya Herd? New Orleans Drag Queen Keeps it Real
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To help promote the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, New Orleans-based addiction treatment provider Odyssey House Louisiana enlisted the help of “Debbie with a D,” a local drag queen celebrity and vocal supporter of public health. “Debbie with a D,” who holds a master’s degree in public health, first gained notoriety as a trusted health advocate when she helped provide more than 10,000 HIV self-testing kits to the New Orleans’ LGBTQ+ community in the months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic...
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Where Good Health is Always In Season
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In the agricultural region of western Missouri, the seasonal fruit harvests create opportunities to deliver quality healthcare to rural communities. During the peach and apple picking months in the summer and fall, Lexington-based HCC Network partners with Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund (MFAF) in Kansas City to provide vaccination education and access to the seasonal farm worker community. From August to October 2023, MFAF organized regular vaccine outreach at one orchard, where HCC Network...
Success at a Glance
Community Diplomats Make a Difference
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In supporting underserved Hispanic communities in Southern California, Latino Health Access (LHA) has used its highly successful Vaccine Ambassador Program to help inform and empower community members. Through this program, LHA trains participants as Promotores de Salud (Health Promoters) who engage with their communities to share accurate information about COVID-19 and flu vaccines. From December 2022 to January 2024, LHA leveraged its community partnerships to train 6 different groups...
Success at a Glance
Digital “Talking Circles” Connect Indigenous Elders
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To better serve its community of indigenous elders, the International Association for Indigenous Aging (IA²) developed impactful culturally tailored health outreach programs around vaccine education. Historically, indigenous community engagement has been rooted in the tradition of talking circles, safe discussion spaces where every participant has a chance to contribute. IA² drew on this traditional concept and adapted it for the digital realm, inviting individuals from its Facebook community...
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A Shot of Confidence
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As part of its goal to increase access to vaccinations for families throughout the state of Rhode Island, Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI) hosted a successful vaccination event at Johnson and Wales University (JWU) in Providence on February 24, 2023. Thanks to FSRI’s promotional efforts on campus, community turnout was strong. JWU students, faculty and staff attending the event could receive flu, COVID-19 and/or T-dap vaccines. One student shared that she had never received a flu shot...
Success at a Glance
Multi-State Health Training Program Promotes Vaccines
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Community Ministry of Prince George's County (CMPGC) is a Maryland-based interfaith organization that is committed to helping reduce health and educational disparities in underserved communities. To better support its own local community just outside Washington D.C., CMPGC organized a multi-state Health Advisor training program in North Carolina, bringing together influential leaders from Prince George’s County, MD and from 20 other partner community organizations. As a result of this training...
Success at a Glance
Without the Shot, Hot You’re Not
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As part of its health outreach to support members of the LGBTQ+ community over the age of 45, Gay Elders of Detroit (dba MiGen) works to provide greater access to COVID-19 and flu vaccines. In early 2023, MiGen staff recognized that some community members were hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine booster. In response, the organization created a tongue-in-cheek promotional campaign that teased summer with the tagline “The hottest bodies on the beach are vaccinated.” One of the faces of the...
Success at a Glance
Meet You At the Health Fair!
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As part of its efforts to diminish significant health disparities in migrant and seasonal farm worker communities, Illinois Migrant Council (IMC) participated in four different health fairs during the month of March 2023. The well-attended events took place in agricultural communities throughout the state and offered free health services, including a variety of health screenings, COVID-19 and flu shots, as well as educational material around vaccinations. Community members attending the health...
Success at a Glance
Getting the Word Out with Stories
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As part of an on-going effort to promote public health throughout the state, Iowa Public Health Association (IPHA) uses storytelling to teach its community about important health topics and increase access to care. In the winter and spring of 2023, IPHA provided storytelling training workshops to its partner community-based organizations to enhance their promotional campaigns about COVID-19 and flu vaccines on social media and other platforms. To further their effort, IPHA also enlisted the help...
Success at a Glance
Literacy Group Boosts Community Health
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As a leading adult education organization in the state of Connecticut, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (LVGH) is committed to raising literacy rates in its community through instruction. After becoming concerned about lack of vaccine access in 2022 -2023, the group expanded its scope to provide its community with a series of health education classes, which encouraged individuals to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. In conjunction with the classes, LVGH hosted...
Success at a Glance
In Idaho, Supporting Peruvian Families in Need
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When health advocacy organization Idaho Immunization Coalition (IIC) got word of a housing crisis in rural Blaine County, where 600 families from Peru had moved to in the fall of 2022, the group quickly mobilized staff and partner organizations to help provide food, health services and other resources to the new arrivals in need. Taking the lead, IIC partnered with Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, The Hunger Coalition, and St. Luke's Medical Center to put on two health fairs, one in...
Success at a Glance
A Health Forum to Build Stronger Communities In North Carolina
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More than 80 residents of the rural Roanoke Valley region in North Carolina gathered for a day-long Community Health Forum on March 4, 2023, to participate in thought-provoking group conversations around building a healthier community. Titled “Our Health Matters,” the forum was sponsored by the Gregory B. Davis Foundation (GBDF), a non-profit organization incorporated in Maryland and chartered in North Carolina. The event was run in partnership with the Roanoke Valley Breast Cancer Coalition and...
Success at a Glance
Tik Tok for Health
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When GraceMed Health Clinic in Wichita, Kansas launched a Tik Tok video campaign to help dispel false information about COVID-19 and flu vaccines, the faith-based health organization did not expect much success. “I would joke that we had three middle-aged men trying to figure out a young person’s game,” explained GraceMed Director of Communications, Jason Jennings. But thanks to a playful style that delivered factual information intercut with humorous clips from YouTube and Giphy, the videos...
Success at a Glance
Health Promoters Boost Vaccine Confidence in Minnesota
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In keeping with its mission to support Latin American families in Minnesota, Communities Organizing Latino Power and Action(COPAL) put in place a volunteer-driven Promotoras d Salud (Health Promoters) program, in part to share accurate information about COVID-19 and increase vaccine confidence among the Latino community. Mara Lopez, a well-trusted community leader in the rural town of Madelia, was one of the first to join the program. Since training as a Health Promoter, Lopez has used her...
Success at a Glance
A Happy “HoliGAY” Supports Community Health
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The first Happy HoliGAYS Health Fair in Greeley, Colorado on December 9, 2023 kicked off a successful joint venture between LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Out Boulder County (OBC) and the Weld County Department of Public Health & Environment. Weld County is a mostly rural area, and this inaugural health event was part of OBC’s efforts to expand its vaccine outreach outside of the state’s urban centers. Those attending the health fair at Greeley’s Unitarian Universalist Church could receive COVID...
Success at a Glance
Podcasting for Public Health
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For the Nepali community living in the Pacific Northwest, accessing accurate and trustworthy health information about COVID-19 has been a constant challenge, especially for those with limited English proficiency. To combat this problem, Nepal Seattle Society enlisted young English-speaking Nepali volunteers to help connect older community members to reliable COVID-19 resources. Part of this youth-led effort included the launch of a Nepali-language podcast in November 2021 called Let’s Talk #KURA...
Success at a Glance
Mobilizing for Votes and Vaccines in Cleveland
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In advance of local, state and national elections in the fall of 2022, Asian Services in Action (ASIA) partnered with OCA Greater Cleveland to combine voter registration with a vaccination drive in Cleveland, Ohio’s AsiaTown . The event – Verify Your Vote & Get Vaccinated – was held on National Voter Registration Day in September 2022. Community members could come to ASIA’s International Community Health Center to verify their voter registrations, and get their flu and COVID-19 shots. AsiaTown...
Success at a Glance
Geo-Targeted Ad Campaign Helps the Unhoused in Central Michigan
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Battle Creek Community Foundation (BCCF) has successfully used cell phone technology in their health outreach to connect with the unsheltered population in Central Michigan. To help encourage COVID-19 vaccinations among this historically hard-to-reach community, BCCF launched a geo-targeted public health advertising campaign. The campaign selected specific locations where large numbers of unsheltered individuals connect to Wi-Fi on their cellphones. Once connected and within a 5-mile range, they...
Success at a Glance
Race Concordance Crushes Misinformation
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Chicago, Illinois-based Leave No Veteran Behind (LNVB) has a strong ally on the frontlines of COVID-19 in medical doctor and community leader Colonel Dr. Damon T. Arnold. Many veterans served by LNVB in Chicago feared getting vaccinated due to historical mistreatment of African Americans in health settings. Col. Dr. Arnold stepped up to help put their minds at ease. A member of LNVB’s board of advisors, former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and the former Illinois National...
Success at a Glance
The Pulse of the Community
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Health advocacy and education is integral to the Congolese Integration Network (CIN)’s mission to welcome Congolese immigrants and refugees into their new communities in Seattle, Washington. As part of its health outreach programming, CIN has turned to church and other community leaders to share accurate and updated information about COVID vaccines. Hearing from these trusted sources has had an immediate impact, drawing more community members to attend CIN’s numerous health fairs that have...
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A Fair Chance for Caribbean Community Health
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For nearly three decades, Orlando-based Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention (CMWP) has improved thousands of lives in Central Florida by providing education and prevention services to uninsured and under-served African-Americans, Hispanics, and people of Caribbean descent. As part of its mission, CMWP hosted a Caribbean Health Fair in Orlando on September 24, 2022. The theme was “Make Mental Wellness a Lifestyle.” With 72 different booths, the well-attended community event offered a...
Success at a Glance
Teens Push for Community Health
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Sixteen public high school students in Cincinnati, Ohio, rose to the challenge of countering COVID-19 misinformation and encouraging vaccination during the pandemic. As leaders of a youth health program, these students drew from their experiences as children of recent immigrants from Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America to create materials in their native languages as well as in English, including videos, flyers, posters, and school displays to promote vaccinations in their school...