Enhancing Louisiana Health Professionals in Communication Methods/Strategies to Increase COVID 19 Vaccination Rates of Residents of Vulnerable Communities (LaHealthCom)

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Project Summary/Abstract Educating Louisiana Health Professionals in communication methods/strategies to increase COVID 19 vaccination rates of residents of vulnerable communities (LaHealthCom) Introduction LA ranks first in the US for COVID-19 cases by population with a case rate of 2,960 per 100,000 and is fifth in deaths by population with a death rate of 97 per 100,000. Furthermore, there are especially disturbing demographic trends in LA with Blacks representing the highest percentage of cases (40.2%) and second highest percentage of deaths (48.7%). Vaccines for prevention of COVID-19 are in development with 29 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation, of which 6 are in Phase 3. To reduce COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality, an approved vaccine must be disseminated with rapid uptake in the community. Mistrust of the health care system and mistrust of experimentation create barriers to rapid and wide- spread acceptance of novel COVID-19 preventive and therapeutic interventions among vulnerable groups. Surprisingly, many minority health care workers who are not now living in vulnerable communities are also reluctant to get vaccinations and/or to give vaccinations. Our College of Pharmacy have experienced this regularly among the health care staff with whom they work in vulnerable community clinics, community pharmacies and churches. This reluctance also occurs among a noteworthy percentage of Xavier’s pharmacy students. Louisiana’s Base COVID 19 vaccination grant, “Louisiana Community-Engagement Research Alliance against COVID-19 in Disproportionately Affected Communities” (La-CEAL - attached) will achieve understanding of the perceptions of the residents of vulnerable communities about COVID-19 vaccination in order to develop effective media and communication strategies focused on the residents of these communities that will increase their knowledge of, and address barriers to, participation in the vaccination process as well as clinical trials. To fully implement this strategy will take between 6 and 9 months. However, a variety of health professionals are already meeting with these residents and, to the extent they can be encouraged to become vaccinated and learn how to effectively encourage residents of vulnerable communities to become vaccinated, will have an even more immediate impact that will be sustainable over time. As such, this proposal will first, identify barriers to COVID 19 vaccination faced by health care providers and successful educational strategies that could be used to help them overcome these barriers and communicate to vulnerable communities in a manner that encourages residents to be vaccinated. Second, with a focus on health care staff working in churches, Federally Qualified Health Clinics and Community Pharmacies in vulnerable areas as well as Xavier’s College of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant program faculty and students who staff these organizations, this data will be used to create innovative educational strategies to address the attitudes of health care professionals towards COVID 19 vaccination as well as help them develop communication and messaging capabilities to be used on the residents of vulnerable communities they serve. Resultant educational approaches will be implemented and tested in these same churches, Federally Qualified Health Clinics and Community Pharmacies in vulnerable areas as well as Xavier’s College of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant program, evaluated and revised. Finally, best practices will be implemented at Xavier and disseminated to the vulnerable community organizations in which they serve as well as to other health provider educational institutions such as Colleges of medicine, nursing and pharmacy and their professional continuing education associations.