Covid-19 Vaccine Outreach Summit: Risk Communication, Digital Resilience, and Community Strategies in a New Era

On June 8th, Wisconsin Health Literacy hosted a free virtual summit that addressed COVID-19 vaccine community outreach in a post-emergency era. The summit explored the current factors that affect the public’s behavior and assessment of risk. The conference featured public health and community leaders sharing their insights and best practices. Recordings of each session and slides are available below. 

A total of 149 professionals attended the Summit live, representing community-based organizations, public health practitioners and local literacy agencies. In the post-conference evaluation 90% of respondents said the Summit provided tools and resources that will help their agency.

Session 1: Slides

• Community Experience and Understanding of COVID-19 Risks
  • Ben Weston, MD, MPH, Medical College of Wisconsin
    • "COVID-19 Health Risks: Then & Now"
    • Objectives
      • Understand how COVID health risks have changed over time.
      • Understand the dynamic role and aims of community outreach professionals with relation to the COVID pandemic and other health issues.
  • Paula Tran, MPH, State Health Officer and Division of Public Health Administrator, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
    • "COVID as a pandemic is winding down: What does that mean for public health?"
    • Objectives:
      • Describe the current public health response to COVID-19
      • Share how the COVID-19 emergency response was different than typical public health practices
      • Provide strategies used across public health as a road map for how to address COVID-19 in the future
  • Mikhaila Calice, MPA, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    • "Confronting the 'post-COVID' mentality: strategies for effective vaccine communication and community outreach"
    • Objectives:
      • Explore the pitfalls and successes of science communication during the COVID-19 pandemic response
      • Introduce basic concepts of science communication that explain the complexities of risk perceptions
      • Provide key communication strategies for effectively engaging community members about vaccines
  • Panel discussion among all three presenters

Session 2: Slides

• Local Strategies for Vaccine Community Outreach
  • Hector Portillo, Padres E Hijos En Acción (Fitchburg)
  • Caitlyn Lewis, Community Center for Immigrants (Milwaukee)
  • Pa Thao, Black and Brown Womyn Power Coalition, Inc. (Eau Claire)

Session 3: Slides

• Jamie Kobs, Digital Literacy Project Manager, Wisconsin Literacy, Inc.
• Topic: Digital Resilience: A Framework for Reducing Tech Anxiety
  • Introduction to digital resilience
  • How to develop digital resilience, within yourself and those you serve
  • How to apply digital resilience in your day-to-day work