Partnering With Churches to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake in Trustworthy Contexts.
Lori Brand BatemanAllyson G HallLonnie HannonMelissa RyanTiffany OsborneSamantha WhitfieldGrace OkoroCatanya G StagerSusan DriggersValerie JonesJessica RhinehartMona N FouadPublished in: American journal of public health (2024)
The Black church has long been seen as a crucial partner in addressing public health issues. This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-engaged church intervention addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved Black communities in Jefferson County, Alabama. We partnered with churches to implement and evaluate the intervention between March and June of 2022 and found that our church partners were capable of significant messaging reach, particularly through electronic means. ( Am J Public Health . 2024;114(S5):S392-S395. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307683).