Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake among 

Members of Racial and Ethnic Minority 

Communities: 

A Guide for Developing, Implementing, and Monitoring 

Community-Driven Strategies

US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention/National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

January 28, 2021
1 

Purpose: The COVID-19 Vaccination Supplemental Funding to IP19-1901 requires use of 10% of total 

funding for high-risk and underserved populations. This guide aims to support immunization awardees

in establishing a community-driven approach and work plan for developing, implementing, and 

monitoring strategies to increase vaccine uptake among communities of focus. The guide focuses on 

racial and ethnic minority communities as an example due to the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 

among these groups, but it is applicable to other communities that are hard to reach, experience 

marginalization or discrimination, and/or demonstrate vaccine hesitancy. This guide may be 

supplemented with additional materials and resources as more is learned about effective strategies and 

interventions. When finalized, CDC-RFA-1P21-2108, “Partnering with National Organizations to Support 

Community-Based Organizations to Increase Vaccination Coverage Across Different Racial and Ethnic 

Adult Populations Currently Experiencing Disparities,” can help support the partner network described 

in this guide; planned partnerships and organizations to be funded are still in development. 

Background: Medical and structural racism and 

discrimination have led to mistrust of the medical system 

among racial and ethnic minority groups.

i

 Data 

consistently show health disparities among racial and 

ethnic minorities relative to white populations, including 

vaccination coverage among adults. These disparities

persist even when controlling for other demographic, 

socioeconomic, and structural factors.ii Disparities in 

vaccination are associated with lack of both access to 

vaccination and vaccine acceptance. Historical events, 

such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and current lived 

experiences of racism and discrimination contribute to 

significant distrust among racial and ethnic minority 

groups of both vaccines and vaccination providers, as well 

as the institutions that make recommendations for the use 

of vaccines.iii This skepticism extends to COVID-19 vaccine. 

It is compounded by the unprecedented speed with which 

COVID-19 vaccines were developed.

iv 

State data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation 

shows that COVID-19 vaccination rates for Black and Latinx 

populations are lower than their share of the population 

and their share of COVID-19 cases and deaths in some 

states.

v Current vaccine hesitancy among members of 

racial and ethnic minorities is strong despite the 

disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on these groups, 

particularly in Black and Latinx communities. Black or African American, non-Hispanic persons are 3.7 

times, and Hispanic/Latinx persons are 4.1 times, more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than 

white, non-Hispanic persons, and both populations are 2.8 times more likely to die. vi Even so, only 42% 

of Black Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccination if available. vii As Black and Latinx

communities have faced a disproportionate burden of COVID-19, it is paramount that vaccine 

confidence and trust are strengthened in these communities.

Figure 1: Statistics on the impacts of COVID19 in Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities
2 

A Community-Driven Approach for Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Uptake: 

To build vaccine confidence and increase uptake among members of racial and ethnic minority 

communities, immunization awardees can establish or bolster existing partnerships with community 

organizations, leaders, and other local partners to define barriers and assist in development and 

implementation of strategies—offering them a seat at the table, providing support to help implement 

strategies, and continuously engaging their knowledge, insights, and lived experiences as a part of 

planning and engagement. This guidance provides a community-driven approach to identifying

partners and increasing vaccine confidence and uptake using five steps, as seen in Figure 2 and the 

summary below. 

 

Step 1: Use data to identify and prioritize racial/ethnic minority communities that may be less likely to 

receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Step 2: For each community of focus, identify relevant government officials and community partners to 

form a “community partner network.” 

Step 3: Work with the community partner network to understand barriers in the community and create 

an implementation plan for vaccination messaging, outreach, and administration. 

Step 4: Help community partner networks implement plans, providing funding and support as needed. 

Step 5: Conduct continuous program evaluation through data collection and analysis to inform possible 

changes to the ongoing strategies. 

Figure 2: Community-driven approach
3 

Step 1: Use data to identify and prioritize racial/ethnic minority communities that may be 

less likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine

To identify racial/ethnic minority communities that may be less likely to get vaccinated and could 

benefit from additional support to develop tailored, community-based strategies, immunization 

awardees may wish to explore existing data sources. An identified community of focus should be a 

specific racial/ethnic minority group in a specific geographic area (e.g., specific Black community 

residing in a specific part of the city). 

Potential data sources are provided in Table 4 in Appendix A. These data sources can either inform the 

location of racial/ethnic minority communities or provide insight into challenges around access to 

vaccination services or the prevalence or likelihood of vaccine hesitancy. Immunization awardees may 

have access to other local data sources that may be informative, including qualitative or anecdotal data 

on attitudes, beliefs, and lived experiences related to either COVID-19 or other vaccines among 

members of racial/ethnic minority communities. 

In addition, CDC plans to support immunization awardees through “data-informed technical 

assistance”—a service that gives immunization awardees hands-on support in using data to identify 

priority communities and develop strategies to build vaccine confidence. 

Step 2: For each community of focus, identify relevant government officials and 

community partners to form a “community partner network” 

• For each community of focus,

immunization awardees can

define a “community partner 

network” that comprises 

local public health officials

(including health equity 

directors), community-based 

organizations and leaders, 

and community members 

that serve, represent, and are

trusted by the community of 

focus. See Figure 3 for an 

example. 

• Across all communities of 

focus, awardees can identify 

other key groups for 

awareness, informationsharing, and coordination; 

these can include groups receiving COVID-19 vaccine supply, officials with experience in 

community programs (e.g., food banks, homeless shelters, HIV prevention programs), 

healthcare agencies or systems (e.g., Medicaid agencies and their managed care organizations), 

first responders, or other groups. 

Figure 3: Community partner network example for Black 

and Hispanic/Latinx Communities
4 

• Once the community partner network for a community of 

focus is created, awardees can: 

• Engage one or more local officials and health equity 

officers as “local leads”—these leads can help identify and 

plan outreach to community-based organizations and

leaders, especially new contacts, given their networks and 

proximity. 

• Plan engagement of each partner and conduct outreach—

document the best person and method for outreach, how 

to message the “ask” for participation, their role 

expectations, and what preemptive questions or hesitations 

they might have to address in initial outreach. 

• Clearly emphasize the group or individual’s role, 

expectations, and the unique value they can provide. Role 

and expectations may include: 

o Providing insight on the different barriers to vaccine uptake within the community 

o Supporting the development and implementation of vaccination outreach, 

messaging, and administration that is tailored to the community of focus—for 

example, in Black communities, barbershops and hair salons may be culturally 

trusted and relevant places for effective outreach and intervention.

viii

o Ensuring efforts and messaging/communication materials are culturally and 

linguistically appropriate and leveraging existing health communication networks. 

For example, as part of CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health 

(REACH) program, Southern Nevada Health District, a REACH recipient, developed a 

multicomponent media campaign in English and Spanish to increase uptake of the 

influenza vaccine. The campaign reached over 602,000 individuals in the priority 

population.

ix

• Encourage local leads to coordinate with other key local-level groups, including first 

responders, major employers of the community of focus, and local health systems and

plans, for planning and implementation. 

Step 3: Work with the community partner network to understand barriers in the 

community and create an implementation plan for vaccination messaging, outreach, and 

administration 

Once a community partner network has been established, immunization awardees should work with 

each network to first understand the community-specific barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. These 

barriers could involve misinformation, a lack of confidence/trust in vaccines, and/or challenges involving 

access to vaccination services. From this, they can create a plan for increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake 

in a way that is fully driven by community partners and incorporates required funded activities in a way 

that is tailored and adapted to the community’s needs. 

• To understand barriers in a community-led way, local leads should hold workshops with the 

community partner network to fully engage their perspectives. These workshops should: 1)

clearly define the community of focus and the barriers and misinformation that exist, and 2)

"This is not only about 

convincing communities that 

a vaccine is safe; it is also 

about following the lead of 

communities to deliver what 

is most needed in this 

moment to earn and rebuild 

trust and ensure that the 

benefits of a vaccine will be 

felt where the need is most 

acute." – Trust for America’s 

Health
5 

prioritize the voices and perspectives of community 

groups/leaders/members to hear direct experiences and 

insight in their own words. 

o To support these workshops, immunization 

awardees can share with local leads the latest 

public health information and materials about

COVID-19 vaccination to be tailored and 

incorporated into plans for each community of 

focus, as appropriate. 

o Make sure the information is accurate, consistent, 

timely, and transparent to avoid counteracting

efforts in building trust. 

o As community partners help develop plans, local 

leads should share this information regularly and

directly address community-specific concerns and 

questions, including what is known about the 

vaccine, what is uncertain or not known, risks and 

benefits, who is able to receive the vaccine, where 

they can receive it or how they may best access it, what happens during and after 

vaccination, and other considerations that will facilitate their decision-making.

• Local leads should use the first workshop to understand directly from community partners the

key barriers and misinformation in the community of focus related to COVID-19 vaccination. 

Effective strategies will depend on understanding barriers as voiced directly by the community 

related to lack of access, hesitancy/lack of confidence, or both. 

o Discuss questions such as: What barriers, needs, or concerns does the community face 

or have about COVID-19 vaccination? What beliefs, attitudes, misinformation, or lived 

experiences drive these? What gaps or questions in information exist? Where are 

community members most likely or willing to get vaccinated?

o Note: For these workshops, local leads can use Table 1 below for examples of questions 

and considerations, as well as research on vaccine hesitancy/misinformation and

content/tools from CDC’s upcoming Rapid Community Assessment Guide to support 

answering these questions. 

• In the same or subsequent workshop, local leads can use these insights to create a plan for

increasing vaccination uptake, driven by community partners and tailored to the community. 

o Plans could include defined barriers/needs in the community of focus, activities

(including any required activities for funding) the community partner network plans to 

conduct, roles of different community partners, plans for tailoring

information/materials, qualitative and quantitative measures, and requested support 

needed from jurisdiction (monetary and non-monetary, see Table 2). 

o It is recommended that immunization awardees share with community partner 

networks a simple template for their plans that can be submitted for feedback.

CDC has launched new grant 

programs to fund communitybased organizations (CBOs) to 

build vaccine confidence in 

communities of color. CBOs are 

working to educate and empower 

trusted voices in the community 

to support vaccine education and 

delivery and also build 

partnerships between vaccination 

providers (e.g., pharmacies) and 

the community to increase the 

number, range, and diversity of 

opportunities for vaccination (see 

Appendix B for more details). 
6 

Table 1: Potential questions and considerations for workshops and implementation plans 

Defining Barriers Creating Plans Example Ideas for Black and Hispanic/Latinx Communities and other 

Minority Groups

What barriers, 

needs, or gaps

exist in the 

community

related to public 

health 

information or 

misinformation? 

What specific 

information and 

materials should 

be tailored and 

shared to address 

the community’s 

needs both prior to 

and during 

vaccination in a 

culturally 

responsive and 

linguistically 

appropriate way? 

• Images that include Black or Hispanic/Latinx individuals or those 

in the community 

• Information that is transparent and addresses concerns and 

misinformation–Black adults may have more concerns about side 

effects, the newness of the vaccine, concerns of getting COVID-19 

from the vaccine, and vaccine hesitancy in general x

• Messaging that is culturally relevant and in the right language

• Information on vaccine administration and cost–—including who 

will be delivering vaccine, languages offered at vaccination 

provider sites, and information to be requested—undocumented 

and/or uninsured individuals in the Hispanic/Latinx community 

may avoid vaccination due to concern around language 

accessibility, insurance requirements, and immigration status 

• Clarity on how personal information will be used

• Clarity on vaccination provider site times and locations 

• Communication about available transportation and costs

What barriers, 

needs, or gaps

exist to 

disseminating 

information or

addressing 

misinformation

in the 

community? 

What methods 

and platforms 

should be used to 

disseminate 

messages and 

conduct outreach 

in a trusted way?

• Social media (e.g., Black Twitter) 

• Flyers at populated community sites 

• Public outreach by trusted messengers

• Radio personalities—Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion 

County created a media campaign using multiple local celebrities, 

including a DJ, a newspaper editor, a bestselling author, and a 

social media influencer, and successfully reached both the Black 

and Latinx communities with its annual flu campaignxi

• Bidirectional discussions with trusted staff at pharmacies or 

health centers/clinics 

What barriers, 

needs, or gaps 

exist in 

accessing public 

health 

information and 

services in the 

community? 

What 

venues/locations 

should be used to 

disseminate

messages, conduct 

outreach, and

deliver the vaccine

in a trusted way?

• Community centers

• Community spaces (e.g., barbershops/salons, grocery stores) 

• Churches or educational institutions 

• Independent, local pharmacies 

• Local health clinics or locations

• Mobile clinics or temporary/off-site clinics 

• Employers where community members work, especially frontline 

essential workers 

What barriers, 

needs, or gaps 

exist in engaging 

and featuring 

trusted 

messengers in 

the community? 

Who should be 

engaged, and how, 

to disseminate 

messages, conduct 

outreach, and play 

a role in vaccine 

administration in a 

bidirectional, 

trusted way?

• Existing local coalitions or groups

• Neighborhood or recreational groups 

• Racially concordant providers 

• Trusted providers and staff from local health centers/clinics—

about 70% of Black adults and 66% of Latinx adults say their 

provider does a very good or excellent job giving clear information

and encouraging them to share questions and concerns xii 

• Trusted community leaders (e.g., barbershop/salon owners, 

radio DJs, pastors, local leaders, social media personalities)

• Employers where community members work 

What barriers, 

needs, and gaps

exist in making 

sure community 

What 

interventions 

should be 

implemented to 

• Non-traditional clinic sites and hours (e.g., nights and weekends) 

to mitigate work or family responsibilities—the American Heart 

Association engaged a local network of providers in San Antonio

for mobile vaccination clinics in accessible locations (e.g., Zoo) xiii
7 

members can

access the 

vaccine? 

ensure community 

members have 

access to, 

information about, 

and opportunities 

to receive the 

vaccine at

clinics/sites?

• Locations in or accessible to community members

• Coordinating sites with other community services (shelters, food 

banks, churches, etc.) 

• Subsidized and accessible transportation options 

• Training and scheduling providers or staff - who represent the 

community and speak the appropriate languages - to administer 

vaccine

• Leveraging all healthcare staff who can legally administer the 

vaccine

• Working with trusted or racially concordant providers or staff to 

refer individuals to vaccination provider sites 

Step 4: Help community partner networks implement plans, providing funding and 

support as needed

Immunization awardees can provide feedback on plans and decide how to best support each network. 

• If community partner networks will need to compete for funding or support, apply simple 

criteria to assess plans. Potential criteria can include: 

o

o

Quantitative factors such as overall reach and number impacted by the plan; how many 

trusted messengers will be engaged; and diversity in population reached, etc. 

Qualitative factors such as likelihood that plan will address identified barriers; role of 

community partners; ability to engage/reach community of focus; ability to tailor and 

disseminate culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate information; ability to 

partner with and elevate community messengers; ability to train informal leaders 

• Communicate back to community partner networks initial feedback on the plan and what, 

when, and how jurisdiction support will be provided. See Table 2 for examples of support. 

• Encourage each network to conduct “audience testing” with a small group of representative 

members from the community of focus on initial materials/messaging, dissemination and 

outreach strategies, and plans for vaccination provider sites. 

o To improve implementation, this initial feedback collection should focus on confidence 

in, access to, and likelihood of choosing to take the vaccine—for example, community 

members might suggest communications need to acknowledge mistrust and raise 

awareness of the prior harm done to communities of color.

xiv

Table 2: Examples of support provided by immunization awardees

Examples of non-monetary support Examples of monetary support

• Feedback on submitted plans’ strategies, activities, 

resources, and measures and outcomes

• Compiling/analyzing data across networks 

• Sharing promising or effective ideas across networks 

• Disseminating/promoting information and materials 

• Addressing issues with vaccine supply 

• Helping with necessary approvals 

• Providing access to contacts or experts 

• Data storage and analysis support 

• Paid time for community groups, leaders, and 

other trusted messengers 

• Creation and printing of materials 

• Funds for vaccination provider sites and/or 

mobile clinics, Personal Protective Equipment 

(PPE), and vaccine administration 

• Transportation for community members 

• General funding support for programmatic 

expenses
8 

• Set up a mechanism for regular and seamless sharing of critical new public health information and 

materials across all groups—this will make it easier for all stakeholders to know what information 

needs to be tailored and customized. 

o This could be done through a common Sharepoint or access site, regular emails, and regular 

meetings/touchpoints to discuss informational and material updates.

• Consider sharing submitted community partner network plans with other networks to encourage 

collaboration across networks and generation of new ideas.

Step 5: Conduct continuous program evaluation through data collection and analysis to 

inform possible changes to the ongoing strategies

The urgent and unprecedent nature of the COVID-19 pandemic means that collecting, learning from, 

and quickly acting on the massive amount of data generated will be critical to supporting communities 

of focus. In addition to required data (disaggregated by race and ethnicity) on who is getting vaccinated, 

when, and where, immunization awardees can consider collecting real-time feedback from the

community through social media and conversations with trusted messengers and leaders. 

• Before partners begin implementing their plans, quickly coordinate with local officials

regarding the required data to collect—specifically doses administered disaggregated by race, 

ethnicity, sex, age, and vaccination provider site. 

o

o

o

o

Immunization awardees can also collect other Key Performance Measures as described 

in the COVID-19 Vaccination Supplemental Funding Guidance. 

• Validate with local officials how data will be most efficiently collected, stored, and analyzed to

align with existing requirements and frequently see who is getting the vaccine and where. 

Methods could include central data files, Sharepoint or access sites, analytical tools, 

and/or involvement of jurisdiction-level staff. Where possible, leverage existing or 

required data sources, data collection, and reporting processes to reduce burden.

• If some communities of focus are receiving less vaccinations than other communities, 

encourage community partner networks to collect anecdotal/qualitative insight/data. This can 

be from social media monitoring or feedback directly from community members and individuals 

involved with implementing strategies at the local level. See Table 3 for examples of whom to 

talk with and what to ask them —these data can be collected through conversations in the 

community with trusted messengers and community leaders or surveys and social media. 

• Create and communicate a flexible and low-burden process for reporting that will allow for 

ongoing and rapid adjustments to plans based on feedback and effectiveness. 

• Set up frequent touchpoints (e.g., twice a week) that include all local leads and community 

partner networks to understand and learn from the data and revise/change strategies. 

Discuss questions like: What racial/ethnic disparities exist? Are there disparities in who 

signs up to receive the vaccine and/or who shows up for appointments? Are there

communities receiving more or less vaccine than planned? What interventions or sites 

are effective or promising? Are there community groups/leaders that are effective at 

outreach in the community? How are most people hearing about the vaccine? 

CDC plans to provide support for this through “data-informed technical assistance”. 

• As new data findings suggest changes are needed, return to other steps to quickly revise 

strategies, engage new partners, or engage a new community of focus. 

• Use common perspectives or effective interventions from communities to directly inform 

broader awardee-level plans for vaccine outreach, messaging, and administration. 
9 

Table 3: Sample qualitative questions to supplement required vaccination data

INDIVIDUALS INFORMATION TO GATHER – SAMPLE QUESTIONS 

1. Receiving outreach and 

communication 

materials (persons to 

be vaccinated) 

• Have you heard about the vaccine and ways to receive it? If so, how? 

• What did the outreach/communication make you think or feel? 

• Are there any fears/obstacles that may still prevent you from getting the 

vaccine?

• Do you feel you have the information you need to make an appointment and 

receive the vaccine?

2. Receiving the vaccine 

(persons who were 

vaccinated)

• How did you feel after your first (or second) dose? How did this shape your 

experience of the vaccination process? 

• Did you feel comfortable receiving the vaccine? Why or why not? 

• Did you feel comfortable checking in for the appointment? Why or why not?

• What concerns/fears did you have before getting the vaccine? 

• What helped or changed your mind? 

• How likely are you to make (or attend) your next appointment and receive a 

second dose? Why?

3. Disseminating outreach 

or administering the 

vaccine (trusted 

messengers and 

observers) 

• How did vaccine recipients appear emotionally?

• What questions or sentiments did they share? 

• What barriers, if any, did they experience or share? 

• How likely are they to receive the vaccine (or the follow-up dose)? 

• Did you experience any barriers to performing your responsibilities? 

• What else did you observe? Do you have any suggested improvements?

4. Sharing the experience 

with others (persons 

who were vaccinated)

• Did you share information on receiving the vaccine with your neighbors, 

friends, and family? If so, what did you share? 

• How likely are you to encourage others to receive the vaccine? 

• When explaining any parts of your experience, what would you mention?
10

APPENDIX A 

Table 4: Example data sources to leverage

CATEGORY DATA 

SOURCE 

TITLE

DESCRIPTION WHAT TO USE FOR HOW TO 

ACCESS

Immunization Jurisdictionlevel 

immunization 

information 

system (IIS) 

data 

All 50 states and the District 

of Columbia have IISs that can 

collect and can generate 

reports of vaccine 

administration data. The 

availability of local-level data 

and data stratified by various 

demographic factors, such as 

race/ethnicity, will vary by 

jurisdiction. 

Low influenza vaccine 

administration data may 

indicate challenges with access 

and/or hesitancy and may be 

used as a proxy for or indicator 

of COVID-19 vaccination 

challenges. 

Health equity concerns may be 

indicated if low vaccine 

administration is observed in 

locations with a substantial 

racial/ethnic minority 

population. 

Varies by 

jurisdiction 

Immunization CDC’s 

FluVaxView 

CDC administers surveys to 

generate influenza 

vaccination coverage 

estimates by various 

demographic factors, 

including race/ethnicity, for 

every influenza season. Data 

are available nationally and 

for all 50 states and the 

District of Columbia through 

2019–2020. County-level 

coverage estimates will be 

available soon. 

Low influenza vaccination 

coverage estimates may 

indicate challenges with access 

and/or hesitancy and may be 

used as proxy for or indicator of 

COVID-19 vaccination 

challenges. 

Health equity concerns may be 

indicated if low coverage is 

observed in locations with a 

substantial racial/ethnic 

minority population.

Link to data

 

Immunization State reports 

of school 

vaccination 

requirement 

exemptions

A subset of states publicly 

reported school vaccination 

requirement data—including 

those related to non-medical 

exemptions—at a local level 

(i.e., county, school district, or 

school). 

A high rate of non-medical 

exemptions to school 

vaccination requirements may 

indicate general vaccine 

hesitancy within a community. 

In states that allow non-medical 

exemptions, identifying local 

areas with higher exemptions 

may point to the need to focus 

COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Health equity concerns may be 

indicated if a high rate of nonmedical exemptions is observed 

in locations with a substantial 

racial/ethnic minority 

population. 

Link to data 
11

COVID-19 

Disease 

Burden

CDC COVID 

Data Tracker

Non-vaccination tabs from the 

CDC COVID Tracker report 

various measures of COVID-19 

disease burden down to the 

county level. 

High COVID-19 disease burden 

may help focus vaccination 

efforts on disproportionately 

affected communities. 

Link to data 

COVID-19 

Disease 

Burden

Health Center 

COVID-19 

Testing 

Dashboard

Weekly health center data of 

total COVID-19 tests 

conducted and positive 

COVID-19 tests by race and 

ethnicity.

High COVID-19 disease burden 

may help focus vaccination 

efforts on specific racial/ethnic 

minority communities. 

Link to data

Demographics 

and Social 

Vulnerability 

U.S. Census 

Bureau 

COVID-19 Site 

Impact planning reports and 

demographics at the county 

level. 

Counties with high populations 

of racial/ethnic minority groups, 

as well as other socioeconomic 

demographics, may help focus 

vaccination efforts on specific 

communities.

Link to data 

Demographics 

and Social 

Vulnerability 

Social 

Vulnerability 

Index

CDC index of social 

vulnerability at the county

level using 15 variables to 

measure social vulnerability.

Counties with high vulnerability 

scores may help focus 

vaccination efforts on specific 

communities.

Link to data 

Demographics 

and Social 

Vulnerability 

County Health 

Rankings 

County-level data on 

demographics, health 

outcomes, and health factors 

to better understand 

individual counties.

Counties with low rankings for 

health outcomes and health 

factors may help focus 

vaccination efforts on specific 

communities.

Link to data 

Demographics 

and Social 

Vulnerability 

U.S. Census 

Population 

Data 

Data on population density to 

see what areas have high 

prevalence of racial/ethnic 

minority communities.

Counties with high populations 

of racial/ethnic minority groups, 

as well as other socioeconomic 

demographics, may help focus 

vaccination efforts on specific 

communities.

Link to data 

Demographics 

and Social 

Vulnerability 

HRSA 

Shortage 

Areas 

Data on HRSA’s Health 

Professional Shortage Areas 

(HPSAs) and Medically 

Underserved 

Areas/Populations (MUA/Ps) 

at county level.

Areas with high HPSA or MUA/P 

scores may help focus 

vaccination efforts on specific 

communities. 

Link to data 
12

APPENDIX B

Recent CDC funding for CBOs – including COVID-19 Vaccination Supplemental Funding to IP19-1901, and 

CDC-RFA-1P21-2108, “Partnering with National Organizations to Support Community-Based 

Organizations to Increase Vaccination Coverage Across Different Racial and Ethnic Adult Populations 

Currently Experiencing Disparities” - covers activities to increase flu and COVID-19 vaccination coverage. 

A summary of activities relevant to COVID-19 is below. 

Work with communities to identify and address drivers of vaccine hesitancy, influential community 

messengers and partners, and community-acceptable approaches for improving vaccination availability, 

accessibility, and acceptability.

• Conduct surveys, interviews, town halls, or focus groups to identify drivers of vaccine hesitancy, 

influential messengers, and community-acceptable approaches.

• Document and share relevant findings from events, conversations, or convenings.

• Identify common drivers of vaccine hesitancy and collect other key information.

• Based on community interactions and findings, share tangible insights, common challenges, and 

key lessons learned with organization leadership to inform CDC’s and organization's strategies 

for addressing racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination.

Educate and empower trusted voices in the community to support vaccine education and delivery.

• Conduct outreach to community members on COVID-19 vaccination.

• Develop and implement community-based and culturally and linguistically appropriate messages 

that focus on COVID-19 spread, symptoms, prevention and treatment, and benefits of 

vaccination.

• Identify and train trusted community-level spokespersons (e.g., faith leaders, teachers, 

community health workers, radio DJs, local shop owners, barbers) to communicate the burden 

of COVID-19 mitigation and vaccination through local media outlets, social media, faith-based 

venues, community events, and other community-based, culturally appropriate venues.

• Support non-funded local entities by sharing findings and materials.

Build partnerships between vaccination providers (e.g., pharmacies) and the community to increase the 

number, range, and diversity of opportunities for vaccination.

• Connect vaccination providers with places of worship, community organizations, recreation 

programs, food banks/pantries, schools and colleges/universities, grocery stores, 

salons/barbershops/beauticians, major employers, and other key community institutions to set 

up temporary and/or mobile COVID-19 vaccination provider sites, especially in high-disparity 

communities.

• Connect local health departments, community health centers, and/or trusted healthcare 

organizations, including pharmacies, with communities through mobile COVID-19 vaccination 

clinics in communities facing disparities to increase the number, range, and diversity of 

opportunities for vaccination.

• Build partnerships with healthcare providers to increase provider understanding of the 

populations of interest and interventions to increase vaccination rates for these populations.
13

• Work with vaccination service providers to expand and train the types of health professionals 

(e.g., community health workers, patient navigators, patient advocates) and administrative staff 

(e.g., front desk workers) engaged in promoting vaccination and increasing referrals of 

individuals to COVID-19 vaccination provider sites. 

i COVID Collaborative, (2020, Fall). Coronavirus Vaccine Hesitancy in Black and Latinx Communities. Retrieved from

https://www.covidcollaborative.us/content/vaccine-treatments/coronavirus-vaccine-hesitancy-in-black-and-latinxcommunities

ii Quinn, S. C., Jamison, A. M., Freimuth, V. S., An, J., & Hancock, G. R. (2017). Determinants of influenza vaccination 

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