A Healthier Wisconsin
AHWWebImage_ParentPage_WhatWeDo.jpg

Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Through an Equity Lens

Increasing individual action to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate of Milwaukee County adults

Full Project Name:Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Through an Equity LensPrincipal Investigator:Ben Weston, MD, MPH, Emergency MedicineAward Amount:$230,000.00
Award Date
May2021
Project Duration:6 months

Project Description Narrative:


In Wisconsin, the rates of vaccination in high-vulnerability communities continues to lag vaccination rates in well-resourced communities. In Milwaukee County, the number of residents receiving at least one dose of vaccine included: 27.7% of White residents, 12.1% of Black residents, and 14.7% of Hispanic residents as of March 2021. Vaccination has been shown to be the fastest, most effective means to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.

Through this award, project partners project aim to increase the number of individuals choosing to take the COVID-19 vaccine in Milwaukee County in order to achieve herd immunity through targeted messaging and collaboration with trusted community members to serve as community mobilizers. With a focus on 10 highly impacted and high-risk ZIP codes, the project will build trust and partnership with the most vulnerable community members to achieve the goal of an 80% vaccination rate.

Project collaborators: Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, Jump at the Sun Consultants, Inpower, 2-Story, Medical College of Wisconsin Institute for Health and Society, Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Communications

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:


  • Conducted community-based focus groups to inform language and images for messaging around COVID-19 vaccinations
  • Partnered with INPOWER Solutions to create a collaborative digital platform to reach across communities with uniquely targeted messages and images resulting in over 350,000 individuals reached via social media through over 960,000 impressions
  • Engaged 150 individuals to train as community mobilizers who covered 65 census tracts, visited 23,000 homes, and resulted in 20% of individuals who engaged with community mobilizers in a one-on-one conversation at their door choosing to get the vaccine in their home
  • Leveraged over $630,000 to support the project efforts

AHW Logo

8701 W Watertown Plank Road,
Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509
(414) 955-4350

©2021 MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | MCW.EDU | TERMS & PRIVACY | NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE

top