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The Opportunity

COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Long COVID Care

Safety net workers and volunteers are the backbone of health care for countless communities. You play a vital role in not only providing care, but also in building trust and addressing health concerns. This page offers you the tools and knowledge you need to tackle two critical aspects of the ongoing struggle against COVID-19: increasing vaccine uptake and caring for patients with long COVID.

Working Together to Improve Vaccine Confidence and Long COVID Outcomes

As health care workers in the safety net sector, you have an important part to play in protecting your patients from COVID-19 and its long-term effects, often described as “long COVID” or “post-COVID conditions.” Having access to accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines and long COVID is crucial for building trust and empowering your patients to make informed decisions. This webpage is designed to be your one-stop shop for reliable resources that will empower you to:

  • Strengthen your own knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and long COVID. 
  • Effectively communicate with patients about these topics. 
  • Raise awareness about COVID-19 prevention within your community. 

We’ve compiled a range of downloadable materials, educational tools, and social media content to support you in these efforts. 

Understanding COVID-19 Vaccines (For Health Care Workers)

The information landscape around COVID-19 is constantly evolving. These resources keep you updated on the latest vaccine recommendations, including who can get which vaccine and when. This empowers you to confidently answer patient questions and address any concerns they may have. 

Vaccine Types

Emergency Use Authorization  

Vaccine Timelines

Understanding Long COVID (For Health Care Workers)

Our knowledge about long COVID is constantly growing. This section provides the latest information on diagnosing and managing these long-term effects. Explore resources that will equip you to effectively identify and care for patients experiencing long COVID. 

Informational Posters

Monthly Research Digests

Communicating with Patients

Communicating with Patients about COVID-19 Vaccines and Long COVID 

Effective communication is key to building trust and addressing vaccine hesitancy. This section provides tools and strategies to navigate conversations about COVID-19 vaccines and long COVID with your patients. Learn how to answer their questions clearly, address concerns and help them make informed decisions. 

COVID-19 Vaccines

Motivational Interviewing Part 1

Motivational Interviewing Part 2

Entrevista Motivacional Parte 1

Entrevista Motivacional Parte 2

Long COVID

Patient Resources

Looking for reliable information to share with your patients? This section offers a collection of patient-friendly materials about COVID-19 vaccines and long COVID. Find resources available in multiple languages that explain the benefits and risks of vaccines, answer common questions and encourage patients to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

About COVID-19 Vaccines

About Long COVID

About General Infection Prevention and Control

Social Media

Social Media

Leverage the power of social media to raise awareness and educate your community about COVID-19 vaccines and long COVID. This section provides downloadable social media graphics, short videos and other resources to help you share engaging content and promote vaccine confidence. 

Graphics

Health Care Worker Vaccine Confidence Stories

Informational Videos

Vaccinate with Confidence E-Course

This free course teaches non-clinical staff and volunteers at free and charitable clinics how to have respectful and productive conversations about vaccines with their patients, colleagues and community members. These conversation strategies can be used to increase vaccine uptake within their communities.

Enroll in the Course

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health communications materials

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clinics from 41 states reached

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healthcare personnel in free and charitable clinics

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unique healthcare personnel trained

in 42 sessions of ECHO program

CDC Vaccinate with Confidence

In February 2021, the CDC launched a national initiative to promote confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine. Americares was selected as the only organization to work with health care personnel in free and charitable clinics. The Vaccinate with Confidence project was designed to understand vaccine hesitancy among health care personnel and to design materials and learning opportunities to help address those hesitancies and build confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Over the course of the project, Americares conducted three surveys of more than 4,000 health care personnel working in 440 free and charitable clinics across the United States and federally qualified health centers in Puerto Rico to understand their confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine their knowledge about the vaccine and their ability to talk about the vaccine with their patients. From the data collected in these surveys, we learned:

  • Health care personnel who felt well-informed about the access, benefits, effectiveness, and development of the COVID-19 vaccine were 10 times more likely to get vaccinated themselves and 4 times more likely to recommend the vaccine to their patients;
  • Vaccinated health care personnel were 2.5 times more likely to recommend vaccine to their patients than unvaccinated health care personnel; and
  • Changes in vaccine guidelines negatively affected health care personnel confidence, signifying the necessity for continuous education and communication with health care personnel.

We encourage you to read the full study HERE.

Two women in blue americares shirts have arms around each other as they walk together side by side back to the camera
A patient receives care at Hope Clinic and Care Center in Menasha, Wis., one of more than 40 free clinics nationwide participating in the health equity project supported by BD. Photo by Jeff Kennel/Americares.

Medical Education on Post COVID Conditions

Americares aims to equip primary care providers in the safety net sector with essential knowledge and tools to effectively identify, diagnose, and manage post-COVID conditions in their patients, with emphasis on addressing health disparities in marginalized and underserved communities. Americares is doing so through a three-pronged approach:

  1. Case-Based Telementoring Series:
    Leveraging the ECHO Model™, a proven strategy for expanding primary care capacities in underserved communities, Americares in collaboration with the ECHO program at the University of Chicago hosts a biweekly telementoring series for PCP in the safety net sector around Long COVID.

  2. Print and Digital Educational Materials:
    Complementing the telementoring series, Americares creates and disseminates a diverse range of print and digital resources to enhance the learning experience.

  3. Recurring Digital Digest:
    Americares curates and disseminates a recurring digital digest which offer concise summaries of the latest research and insights related to post-COVID conditions at regular intervals.

“We all receive a ton of information, news and updates about COVID. The Americares project is helpful because we know it is accurate, up to date and tailored for clinics like ours.”

– North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics; Vaccinate with Confidence Participant

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Generous donors make all our achievements possible. We are able to respond to more disasters, expand our health programs and save more lives because of the individuals, foundations and corporations that trust Americares to improve the lives of people in the United States and around the world.