How the Vaccine Resource Hub was created to address health inequities, empower community organizations, and build vaccine confidence

Background: Vaccines save lives and can prevent or reduce the severity of many infectious diseases and their consequences. However, adult vaccination coverage remains low nationally and significant racial and ethnic disparities exist, leaving thousands of Americans unprotected.

Program background: Under the extensive Partnering for Vaccine Equity program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing funding and support to national, state, local and community-level partners, who are prioritizing equity in vaccination access among those groups experiencing disparities in immunization—including racial and ethnic minority groups, individuals living with disabilities, rural communities, older adults, individuals with chronic conditions, and more. This Vaccine Resource Hub is part of that effort.

Evaluation Methods and Results: The Vaccine Resource Hub is one of the only non-governmental websites that provides comprehensive, scientifically evaluated, and culturally relevant materials to the public to promote vaccine confidence. Many organizations lack the resources to be able to create this type of content within their own organization. The Vaccine Resource Hub partner with companies conducting in-depth social listening who then used that insight to create social media graphics, digestible talking points, and newsletters addressing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation happening in real-time. The site features stories from Partnering for Vaccine Equity organizations, highlighting the power of partnerships that bring together resources, people, and ideas to help keep America, and the world, healthy, safe, and secure. The site also focuses on providing training, technical assistance, and capacity building resources to create opportunities for growth to all users. Most recently we have launched a feature for users to create their own resources using graphics, images, and assets designed to meet the needs and communities of our users.

Conclusions: The Vaccine Resource Hub has been able to successfully engage users through stories, downloads, and ensuring that the content is relatable and reliable to the communities we serve.

Implications for research and/or practice: Understanding what is being said, by whom – and being able to respond in a culturally appropriate and timely manner is critical to communicating risk. The Vaccine Resource Hub provides a multitude of features that support community-based organizations in their approach to addressing misinformation, sharing accurate and timely information, and developing graphics that promote vaccine confidence.