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Vaccines for all: A formative evaluation of a multistakeholder community-engaged COVID-19 vaccine outreach clinic for migrant communities

Abstract
Racialized, low-income, and migrant communities in East and Northeast Calgary were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, yet faced vaccine access barriers. This article is a formative evaluation of a low-barrier, community-engaged vaccine outreach clinic in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on June 5–6, 2021. Stakeholder respondents felt the clinic was effective (99.2%), efficient (96.9%), patient-centered (92.3%), and safe (90.8%), and that the outreach model was scalable 94.6% (123/130). Suggested improvements include increased time for clinic planning and promotion, more multilingual staff, and further efforts to reduce accessibility barriers, such as priority check-in for people with disabilities. These findings support the value of community-engaged outreach to improve vaccine equity among other marginalized newcomer communities.
Authors: Linda E. Holdbrook,Nour Hassan,Sarah K. Clarke,Annalee Coakley,Eric Norrie,Mussie Yemane,Michael R. Youssef,Adanech Sahilie,Minnella Antonio,Edna Ramirez Cerino,Sachin R. Pendharkar,Deidre Lake,Denise L. Spitzer,Kevin Pottie,Samuel T. Edwards,Gabriel E. Fabreau Publication Date: 1/1/2023

Publication Type: Journal Article

URL:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623523000387
Notes

Community organizations: n/a

Future research / gaps identified:

Increase community engagement in future vaccination efforts, especially when addressing marginalized communities

Integration timeline: newcomers not defined

Key findings

  • The community-engaged COVID-19 vaccine outreach clinic for migrant communities was effective, efficient, patient-centered, and safe
  • The clinic achieved its goals and was scalable

Key populations: COVID-19 vaccination stakeholders in Calgary

Key recommendations

  • Expand language supports and multilingual staff
  • Engage with trusted religious and community leaders when replicating this clinic
  • Use a multistakeholder approach to create interventions to provide vaccines for all, especially those who may face barriers to accessing healthcare

Location: Calgary

Open access: Yes


Collections covid-19 , physical-and-mental-health , social-services

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