
$125K grant to empower CHWs to address vaccine hesitancy
A $125,000 grant has been awarded to Professor Roberta Riportella and a team of colleagues to train Oregon's traditional health care workers on how to communicate about the importance of adult vaccinations.
The team includes Professor Deborah John, Associate Professor of Practice Robin Maille, Senior Instructor II Katie Ahern and Oralia Mendez, MPH, manager for the Workforce Development and Community Programs in FCH.
The team aims to improve the ability of Oregon’s certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) to deliver vaccination messages to their adult clients. To achieve this goal, they will adapt the evidence-based University of Arkansas course, “How to Talk to Your [Patients] About Vaccinations,” for Oregon’s CHWs working in non-clinical community settings.
The self-paced, online course is designed to equip certified CHWs with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively communicate with clients about adult immunizations. With the rise of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, it’s crucial for these traditional health workers to confidently engage in conversations with client populations to promote vaccine acceptance, minimize communicable disease risk, and ensure public health.