Immunity Takes Community

Immunity Takes Community: WCCHD Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

July 14, 2021 -  Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) addresses COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in partnership with five community members to produce a social media campaign, Immunity Takes Community. The campaign encourages individuals to understand and trust the COVID-19 vaccine through local members of their community.

WCCHD received grant funding from Nation Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to address vaccine hesitancy at the local level. Vaccine hesitancy is the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services. Through this grant, WCCHD has been able to work with various stakeholders throughout Williamson County to distribute vaccination information, raise community awareness of the importance of vaccinations, and solidify WCCHD as a public health subject-matter expert among Williamson County residents.

“We are grateful to have received this grant to provide resources to connect local community advocates to the residents of Williamson County,” said Derrick Neal, Williamson County and Cities Health District Executive Director. “This funding allows our team to provide helpful information and to combat misinformation that has spread rapidly during the pandemic.”

The “Immunity Takes Community” campaign is available to download for media, organizations, and individuals to broadcast and/or share on social media at: https://bit.ly/3AUYA0i

“Immunity Takes Community” videos can also be viewed on WCCHD’s YouTube playlist: https://bit.ly/2T5z33s

The five community members are:

  • Carlos Hernandez is a local business owner in Williamson County. He serves on the board for the Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and is the creator of the Hispanic Business Owners Chamber Circle. 
  • Chuck Collins is the Executive Director for Georgetown Connects, formally named Southeast Georgetown Community Council. He oversees the work of our teams and manages business and financial matters, while building and expanding connections throughout the community. Collins is a believer in neighbors coming together to help each other and build a community all can be proud of.
  • Luan Tran founded a home-like senior long-term care facility in Round Rock, TX. Dr. Tran is also the Chief-Executive-Officer of Austin Vietnamese-American Medical Professional Society (AVAMPS). Dr. Tran has worked closely with WCCHD to provide vaccination opportunities to the Vietnamese-American communities.
  • José Orta is a disabled Air Force Veteran and life-long resident of Taylor, Texas. For the past three decades, he has played a significant role in bringing attention to health, political, minority and empowerment issues in East Williamson County.
  • Yolanda Salazar is a WIC Certification Specialist and Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for Williamson County WIC. Salazar has worked for 13 years. She was born and raised in Williamson County.

Collaborating with community members for “Immunity Takes Community” gave them the opportunity to encourage and promote the vaccine through own lived experience. The project is the first of many that will be addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Williamson County.

For more information about WCCHD, visit www.wcchd.org.

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