Jala Lockhart of Virginia Beach, VA, Megan Williams of Durham, NC and Ny’Nika McFadden of Montgomery, AL crafted #ProtectPickens: A Campaign to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Among Black Residents in Pickens County, AL.
In response to the scenarios provided by SOPHE for the competition, the students designed a proposal for a health education and communication campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black residents in Pickens County, AL. The students selected Black residents as their population of interest due to lower vaccination rates and increased barriers to vaccination among this segment of the population. Their mock campaign included several components to increase demand and access to vaccines, including community-wide education sessions, mobile vaccination sites, vaccine incentives, vaccine reminder and recall systems, and a vaccine assistance hotline. They also designed several health communication materials, including a website, graphics for social media posts, and flyers, as part of their project. The students will have an opportunity to share their project nationally in an upcoming SOPHE webinar.
Each member of the first-place team will receive a $150 cash award, a SOPHE award certificate, recognition, and the opportunity to present their innovative winning approach during a future SOPHE webinar.
In addition, Williams was selected as a 21st Century Scholar and received a 21st Century Scholarship to support her attendance at the conference.
Congratulations Jala, Megan and Ny’Nika!