Abstract

This paper summarizes a Community Health Worker (CHW) project in Omaha, Nebraska to enhance Black/African American (B/AA) and Hispanic/Latino (H/L) vaccination uptake for COVID-19 and influenza: Protecting the Underserved from COVID-19 Disparities (ProUD). The Creighton University Center for Promoting Health and Health Equity (CPHHE) designed the project and curriculum that built on CHPPE CHWs’ existing expertise and COVID-19 competencies, adding an influenza vaccination focus. CPHHE then coordinated CHW community activities, reporting, and meetings from November 2022 through August 2023. CHWs used a digital interface to detail community encounters. The project demonstrated how continued support of a cadre of CHWs facilitates taking advantage of new funding opportunities. Over ten (10) months, the eight (8) ProUD CHWs achieved substantial community interactions involving group and individual educational encounters: 635 educational sessions, 5186 people educated,and 321 service referrals. CHW encounters involved about 50% Black/African/African Americans not of Latinx origin, about25% Latinx, and about 20% Whites. Monthly CHW and program leader meetings identified new informational needs, further informed CHWs about vaccine and vaccination myths and misunderstandings, and promoted mutual discussions about how CHWs could respond. Narratives about CHW community experiences enabled fruitful dialogue about how best to address local community issues. Monthly meetings also afforded opportunities to increase CHW understanding of chronic diseases and their management. Lessons learned emerged. In future programs we advise adding more formal mental health content to support CHW well-being and enhance their capacities in assisting community members. To understand how best to enhance programs like ProUD, community outcomes assessments are crucial regarding vaccination uptake and also enhancements in chronic disease self-management. ProUD resources did not allow such assessments. ProUD was funded by Creighton Community
Collabrative. CPHHE operational funds flow from the state of Nebraska LB692 allocations of tobacco judgment dollars to address health disparities, allocated through Creighton University.

Keywords: Equity; Disparities; Latino/Hispanic; COVID-19; Vaccination; CHW; Community health worker; Education; Support