UC ANR participates in nationwide COVID-19 vaccination education effort

4-H youth joined the Healthy Living Team to become "Disease Detectives.” Participating in the virtual UC 4-H Statewide Epidemiology Project, youth were challenged to blow a rolled-up tissue without a mask and again while wearing a mask to demonstrate how masks limit COVID-19 transmission.

UC ANR is participating in a national Cooperative Extension partnership with Extension Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine education and uptake called Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE). The CDC recognizes that Extension's position as a trusted partner in communities can help address hesitancy around COVID-19 vaccines and other adult immunizations. As part of this effort, UC ANR's Program Planning and Evaluation unit worked with UCCE county offices and statewide programs/institutes to collect baseline activity around COVID-19 vaccine outreach and education across UC ANR's programs to share with our national partners.

Here are some of the things the team learned:

• UC ANR's vaccine education and promotion efforts occurred in at least 15 counties;  
• Vaccine education was included in a unique 4-H statewide project, the 4-H Disease Detectives Project; see their UC Delivers blog; 
• UC ANR reached approximately 18,545 individuals through in-person, virtual, email, direct mailing, or social media posts that extended vaccine education and referral to sites;
• County offices partnered with at least eight different vaccine sites on promotion and referral activities. Two counties hosted vaccine sites through their offices (kudos to San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz!). 

UC ANR leadership applauds these efforts that demonstrate the organization's ingenuity and commitment to public health.

If you or your office are conducting new or ongoing activities on vaccination outreach and education, please email leyla.marandi@ucop.edu.We would love to share your work with our EXCITE Collaborative partners!

The News and Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS) team also received funding from the EXCITE program to promote vaccination in Spanish-speaking and indigenous communities and is working with Marcel Horowitz, UCCE healthy youth, families and communities advisor for the Capitol Corridor, and UC San Diego microbiologist Fabian Rivera to develop the campaign messaging and materials.  

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