The COVID-19 Protect | Me You Us Community Initiative emphasizes personal responsibility to protect yourself, your family, and your community. This is a partnership between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Access, and the Behavioral Health & Wellness Program at the University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Psychiatry.
Ensuring equitable COVID-19 vaccine coverage is a Colorado and national priority
The past year has exposed health disparities and social injustice faced by our most vulnerable citizens. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is highest among the very populations most disproportionally affected by the pandemic. This includes communities of color as well as groups who are economically and socially disadvantaged. Provider’s perceptions and concerns regarding patients’ responses to getting vaccinated may discourage engagement in conversations essential to increasing vaccination rates.
Healthcare providers remain the most trusted source for information about vaccinations and there are low-burden strategies to effectively talk with patients about any uncertainty or concerns they may have. We developed a brief and video that includes evidence-based strategies and suggestions for language clinicians can use to address mistrust of and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
