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
To protect us all from COVID-19, the majority of adults and kids needs to be vaccinated. While we are all aware of the need for vaccination, we also know the decision to vaccinate a child can be complex. Even for parents (and guardians) who accept the vaccine, the decision to vaccinate their child can feel like a very different decision from the one they made for themselves. There are distinct concerns and considerations when it comes to their growing child, especially the short- and long-term effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on their child’s developing body. To address these concerns, it is essential to have conversations with all parents whose children are not yet fully vaccinated.
Healthcare providers remain the most trusted source for information about vaccinations and there are low-burden strategies to effectively talk with parents about any uncertainty or concerns they may have. We suggest specific strategies and language that you can use to address mistrust of and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines for kids.
