Abstract P189: Leveraging Existing Cohort Study Infrastructure And Community Trust To Promote Covid Vaccination In Rural Mississippi: Experience From NHLBI’s RURAL Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: The current surge in COVID-19 infections in the rural south is primarily due to the large number of unvaccinated individuals. Increasing the number of individuals getting vaccinated in rural areas remains a challenge due to multiple factors including education, vaccine literacy and hesitancy, and access to vaccination sites. Objective: Investigators in the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study used existing community partnerships with local advisory boards and with state organizations to promote vaccinations in a pair of low-risk and high-risk rural counties in Mississippi. Methods: The Mississippi Core of the RURAL Study is responsible for community engagement, forming community advisory boards and promoting the RURAL Study among residents of Oktibbeha and Panola Counties. We partnered with community advisory board (CAB) members to identify geographic sites that have a need for increasing vaccinations and assessed the willingness of the facilities to serve as a site for ‘popup’ vaccination clinics. We partnered with the Mississippi State Medical Association and the Mississippi Department of Health to identify COVID 19 vaccination providers in these rural areas. Working with physicians on the CAB and local county hospitals, we secured staffing, vaccines and equipment and scheduled dates and times for popup vaccination clinics at 4 sites in Panola County and 5 sites in Oktibbeha County. Popup clinics were promoted locally by physicians and churches, and through RURAL investigators using both social media and news media. Investigators evaluated: 1) the success of popup clinics; 2) number of persons vaccinated at each clinic; and 3) sex, age range and race of those receiving vaccinations collected. Findings: All nine of the COVID19 popup vaccinations clinics were successfully set up and run. A total of 77 individuals received vaccinations (32 in Panola County and 45 in Oktibbeha County). In Panola County more men than women received vaccinations and all age ranges (12-19, 20-29, 30-39,40-49, 50-59, 60-69, ≥ 70 years) were represented. The majority of those receiving vaccinations in Panola County were Non-Hispanic Black Americans. In Oktibbeha County more men than women received vaccinations and older age ranges (> 50 years) predominated. In Oktibbeha County there was a more even balance of Non-Hispanic Black and White Americans among those receiving vaccinations. Panola County vaccinations were mostly first-time vaccinations and Oktibbeha County vaccinations were mostly booster doses. Conclusion: Existing cohort study infrastructure and human resources offer a unique opportunity to leverage existing community collaborations to promote vaccinations in a national pandemic.