REPORTS
Building a Ground Game: How to Conduct a Community Needs Assessment and Launch a CHW Workforce Development Coalition
Authors:
Stephanie McClure, Kathryn Oths, Carol Agomo, et al.
Date posted:
November 17, 2022
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
In this report, the University of Alabama team recounts how they conducted a communitywide needs assessment of community health infrastructure in the state’s Black Belt counties as the first step in mobilizing a community health coalition well suited to serving rural populations, which are often overlooked. Other jurisdictions wanting to establish a baseline of their community health sector are invited to adapt and apply the CommuniHealth Alabama team’s tools and templates.
Guide for Effective Partnerships Between Academic Institutions and Community Health Workers/Promotores
Authors:
Diego Ceballos, Griselda Cervantes, Arrietta Chakos, et al.
Date posted:
November 17, 2022
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
Based on their own experiences, the CommuniHealth San Diego State University team developed these training materials to support other community-oriented universities that wish to leverage their neutral brokering position and access to resources to strengthen academic-community partnerships that integrate community health workers/promotores.
Strengthening Health Promotion Through Sustained Hyperlocal Community Engagement
Authors:
Stephen B. Thomas, Sandra Crouse Quinn, Meg Jordan, et al.
Date posted:
November 17, 2022
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
The University of Maryland team has codified and communicated lessons learned from its successful track record of implementing hyperlocal approaches to community engagement and health promotion, epitomized by a network of barbers and hairstylists championing the health of their host neighborhoods. Community health champions from elsewhere are welcome to adapt/apply the Maryland team’s the practical guidance on fostering partnerships and communicating successes.
The CommuniHealth Playbook: How to Spur on Your Local Community Health Sector
Authors:
Monica Schoch-Spana, Emily Brunson, Sanjana Ravi, Madison Taylor, Marc Trotochaud, and Divya Hosangadi on behalf of the CommuniHealth Coalition
Date posted:
November 17, 2022
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
The CommuniHealth Playbook compiles field-tested strategies and tactics for advancing the community health sector locally. The Playbook’s practical guidance is the culminating product of CommuniHealth, the successor to the CommuniVax Coalition. With the support of a national working group, teams in Alabama, California, and Maryland used direct experience, trial and error, and ground-level truth to develop practical ways of mobilizing local forces for vibrant and sustainably resourced community health systems. This introductory text provides context for the project, shares the CommuniHealth “Principles for Partnership with Communities,” and serves as a centralized index to the guidance contained in the 3 local team reports.
A Waypoint on the Path to Health Equity: COVID-19 Vaccination at Month 11
Authors:
Schoch-Spana M, Brunson E, Hosangadi D, Long R, Ravi S, Taylor M, Trotochaud M, Veenema TG, on behalf of the CommuniVax Coalition
Date posted:
November 23, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
This CommuniVax Coalition report represents a waypoint in the COVID-19 pandemic: an opportunity to pause to mark the distance traveled, alter the course if necessary, and set out on the next part of the journey. It describes progress made toward greater equity in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and proposes steps to advance even further. CommuniVax is a national rapid research coalition of social scientists, public health experts, healthcare providers, and community advocates, and a part of the larger community of practice that has observed and participated in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout through an equity lens.
Carrying Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination Forward: Guidance Informed by Communities of Color
Authors:
Brunson EK, Schoch-Spana M, Carnes M, Hosangadi D, Long R, Ravi S,
Taylor M, Trotochaud M, Veenema TG, on behalf of the CommuniVax Coalition
Date posted:
July 14, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
Executive Summary (PDF)
Resumen Ejecutivo (PDF)
Two-Page Report Summaries and Actionable Recommendations:
Governmental Public Health Executives (PDF)
Governors and State Legislators (PDF)
Mayors, County Executives, and Other Top Local Government Officials (PDF)
Members of Congress (PDF)
Seven months into the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States, nearly 50% of the American population has been vaccinated. While this is a monumental accomplishment, there is still much work to do. This report provides specific guidance on adapting COVID-19 vaccination efforts to achieve greater vaccine coverage in underserved populations and, through this, to develop sustainable, locally appropriate mechanisms to advance equity in health.
Equity in Vaccination: A Plan to Work with Communities of Color Toward COVID-19 Recovery and Beyond
Authors:
Schoch-Spana M, Brunson E, Hosangadi D, Long R, Ravi S, Taylor M, Trotochaud M, Veenema TG on behalf of the Working Group on Equity in COVID-19
Date posted:
February 09, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
Implementation toolkit (PDF)
This report provides elected and appointed officials with the tools to create, implement, and support a vaccination campaign that works with Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities to remedy COVID-19 impacts, prevent additional health burdens, lay the foundation for unbiased healthcare delivery, and enable broader social change and durable community-level opportunities.
The Public’s Role in COVID-19 Vaccination: Planning Recommendations Informed by Design Thinking and the Social, Behavioral, and Communication Sciences
Authors:
Schoch-Spana M, Brunson E, Long R, Ravi S, Ruth A, Trotochaud M on behalf of the Working Group on Readying Populations for COVID-19 Vaccine
Date posted:
July 09, 2020
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
Published in July 2020, this report was developed by the Working Group on Readying Populations for COVID-19 Vaccine—a precursor to CommuniVax. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation-funded Social Science Extreme Events Research Network and the CONVERGE facility at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The report considers human factors in relation to (at the time) future vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, drawing on insights from design thinking and the social, behavioral, and communication sciences. It provides recommendations—directed to both US policymakers and practitioners, as well as nontraditional partners new to public health’s mission of vaccination—on how to advance public understanding of, access to, and acceptance of vaccines that protect against COVID-19.
From Equitable Crisis Response to
Healthy Populace
Alabama – Local Report
Authors:
Stephanie M. McClure, Bronwen Lichtenstein, Kathryn Oths, Pamela Payne-Foster, Levi Ross, Jala Lockhart, Olivia Radcliffe, Emi Smith
Date posted:
September 15, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
In November 2020, the CommuniVax Coalition was formed for the purpose of strengthening COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the United States. The coalition’s focus is on communities of color and the issues they face that impede vaccine access. These include issues surrounding health communication mode and content, effective policy development, intervention design and implementation, and inclusive service delivery practices. Alabama was chosen as a coalition member because it has a substantial minority population, and because, as a rural state, it faces particular public health challenges—a substantial poverty rate, limited transportation and technology access, and a shrinking healthcare infrastructure.
Addressing COVID-19 Vaccination Equity and Recovery Among the Hispanic/Latino Population in the Southern California Border Region
San Diego, California – Local Report
Authors:
Noe Crespo, Elisa Sobo, Griselda Cervantes, Susan M. Kiene, Corinne McDaniels-Davidson, Diego Ceballos, Sarah Song, Martha Crowe, Imelda Sing, Michele Cheatham, Grecia Guerrero, Adriana Perez, Mary Carnes, Emily de Souza
Date posted:
September 15, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
The Hispanic/Latino population in San Diego’s south region has suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccine uptake in the region has improved, coverage is still suboptimal. With the Delta variant on the rise, we must take immediate action to reach unvaccinated individuals and those past due for their second dose or due for a booster. To that end, working with CommuniVax, a national consortium focused on strengthening COVID-19 vaccination efforts by putting communities of color at the center, we examined the local experience of vaccine uptake among the Hispanic/Latino community in San Diego. We found numerous multilevel impediments to vaccine access, including some created inadvertently by the public health system itself.
Vaccine Access and Acceptability Among the Hispanic Population in Rural Southeast Idaho
Idaho – Local Report
Authors:
Elizabeth Cartwright, Diana Schow, Tamra Bassett, Patricia Torres, Nancy Wells, Abigail Adams, Rachel Byers, Carina Cardona, Edgar Carrasco, Payden Christensen, Diana Velasquez Duran, Victoria Eldredge, Maria Lupita Garcia, Samantha Grim, Beverly Jackson, Mitsy Ledesma, Leslie Maldonado, Anne McDonald, Carmen Partida, Jessica Flores Perez, Jade Spanton, Maya Tillotson, Dustyn Walton, Chyanne Yoder
Date posted:
September 15, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
This report includes a description of research, interventions, and recommendations that helped raise awareness of and access to the COVID-19 vaccine in Hispanic communities that make up 31% of the population in and near the small, rural towns of American Falls and Aberdeen, Idaho.
Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Equity for the Latino Population in Baltimore City: Community-Informed Guidance
Baltimore, MD – Local Report
Authors:
Sarah Polk, Suzanne Grieb, Mónica Guerrero Vázquez, Marzena Maksym, Jessica Marroquin Miranda, Kate Mieth, Kathleen Page, Daniela C. Rodríguez,
Hugo Garcia, Rachel Storms, Kay Beth Tyson
Date posted:
October 19, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
While Baltimore City has made great strides in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, there is still a great deal of opportunity for continued work and improvement if the city is to put a stop to the pandemic.
Two areas that will be crucial as the city continues its vaccination campaign is figuring out how to reach and serve those Baltimoreans with consistent and continued low vaccine uptake and how to ensure that these initiatives are used as an opportunity to address systemic gaps and inequities within the local health system. Specifically, Baltimore City must do a better job of delivering vaccines to communities of color, including the Latino and immigrant community, in order to build a stronger, more effective, and more just public health infrastructure moving forward.
Prince George’s County Local Report
Authors:
Stephen B. Thomas, Sandra Crouse Quinn, Meg Jordan, Elsie Essien, Maya Deane-Polyak, Maggie Daly, Kristin Arabian, Chinedu Nwabuisi
Date posted:
September 15, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
Prince George’s County, Maryland is a majority–minority county in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. With more than 62% of the population African American/Black and 20% Latino, the county has a long history of disparities in chronic diseases, HIV, infant mortality, and unequal access to healthcare. Throughout the pandemic, Prince George’s County has led Maryland in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Although, as of July 29, 2021, 50% of Prince George’s County residents were fully vaccinated, there were still significant proportions, particularly of the African American population, that have not been vaccinated and remain at grave risk from the Delta and future variants. As of August 2021, the county has returned to the high-risk transmission category with skyrocketing cases. Considering the urgent need to vaccinate those over the age of 12 years who are currently eligible, and prepare to vaccinate younger children, addressing gaps in the vaccination delivery is crucial to ensuring vaccine equity and reducing the disproportionate impact on county residents.
Improving Health Equity and Vaccination on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
Eastern Shore, VA – Local Report
Authors:
Cynthia B. Burwell, Deborah DiazGranados, Matthew Herman, Patti G. Kiger, Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson, Andrew Plunk, Kassandra Prasanna
Date posted:
November 3, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
CommuniVax established a national research coalition in September 2020 composed of 5 local research teams: Alabama, California, Idaho, Maryland, and Virginia, focused on African American/Black and Latinx communities, and coordinated by a central “hub” that is housed at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and guided by a national expert working group. The Virginia team, whose CommuniVax involvement began in late spring 2020, includes Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, Hampton University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The Virginia team has a Hampton Roads component and an Eastern Shore component.
This report highlights findings from qualitative research on COVID-19 vaccination in low-income Eastern Shore of Virginia communities conducted in late spring and early summer of 2021. It relies on 31 individual interviews, 3 focus group discussions, and ongoing efforts to address vaccine uptake and strengthen the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s collective health agency, with special emphasis on the African American/Black population. These efforts include those of the Virginia research team, Eastern Shore Healthy Communities, and the frontline organizations who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates.
Addressing Hampton Roads Community Mistrust in the Wake of the Pandemic
Hampton Roads, VA – Local Report
Authors:
Cynthia B. Burwell, Deborah DiazGranados, Matthew Herman, Patti G. Kiger, Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson, Andrew Plunk, Kassandra Prasanna
Date posted:
November 3, 2021
Publication type:
Report
Publisher:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
See also:
View full report (PDF)
CommuniVax established a national research coalition in September 2020 composed of 5 local research teams: Alabama, California, Idaho, Maryland, and Virginia, focused on African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, and coordinated by a central “hub” that is housed at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and guided by a national expert working group. The Virginia team, whose CommuniVax involvement began in late spring 2020, includes Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, Hampton University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The Virginia team has a Hampton Roads component and an Eastern Shore component.
This report highlights findings from qualitative research on COVID-19 vaccination in low-income Hampton Roads communities conducted from January through September 2021. It relies on 40 individual interviews, 16 focus group discussions, and ongoing interactions with a community advisory board comprised of residents in low-income housing from across the region.