Trinity Health Launches $1.6M Vaccine Education Campaign to Reach Underserved Communities

LIVONIA, Mich., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Trinity Health, one of the nation’s largest multi-institutional Catholic healthcare delivery systems, launched It Starts Here, a COVID-19 vaccine education initiative focused on communities of color.

The $1.6M radio and social media influencer campaign features Black and Brown influencers with large followings in 14 underserved communities across the country to educate, raises awareness, and promotes the availability of the vaccine.

“Vaccinating our communities against COVID-19 will be one of the greatest achievements in modern public health,” said Michael Slubowski, president and CEO of Trinity Health. “We will only be successful if we ensure that all members of our communities feel confident and prepared once the vaccine is available to them. Our mission with this campaign is to dispel myths and rumors by leaning on the science and facts of the vaccines’ safety and effectiveness.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 related deaths are highest among those in the Hispanic or Latino and Black communities in the United States. Recognizing a long history of mistrust in the health community from those of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, this campaign centers around an intentional, targeted approach to address vaccine hesitancy.

“Education is a crucial component of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and key to increasing public trust in these vaccines,” said Julie Washington, SVP, chief marketing, communications and experience officer at Trinity Health. “We can take the reins in this pandemic, but that starts with each of us doing our part by choosing to be vaccinated.”

It Starts Here is the latest initiative in a set of multi-faceted efforts from Trinity Health to reduce vaccine hesitancy including social media campaigns, colleague/community surveys and virtual town halls.

“To date, we’ve vaccinated nearly 543,000 people in our communities across the United States,” said Daniel Roth, M.D., executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Trinity Health. “While this is a remarkable feat, we will continue to measure our success by how we move the needle for those in underserved populations.”

About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 113 continuing care locations. Based in Livonia, Michigan, and with annual operating revenues of $18.8 billion, the organization returns $1.3 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs 123,000 colleagues, including 6,800 employed physicians and clinicians. For more information, visit www.trinity-health.org. You can also follow Trinity Health on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

Contact: Samantha Garbutt
Email: Samantha.Garbutt@trinity-health.org
Phone: 734-343-4329

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SOURCE Trinity Health