An Interdisciplinary Community-engaged Model to Improve Vaccination Rates Among Hispanic Communities in North Carolina

Background: The Hispanic community in the United States has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. LATIN-19 is an interdisciplinary, multisector coalition formed in March of 2020 and uses innovative approaches to address health disparities in the Hispanic community in North Carolina. One important strategy has been to sponsor vaccination events in partnership with community organizations. We aim to 1) describe the key components of vaccination strategies led by LATIN-19 and 2) evaluate the impact of these strategies on vaccination uptake on the Hispanic community in Durham County, NC.

Methods: LATIN-19 partnered with the largest local health system in Durham County to allow Spanish-speaking community health workers to directly register community members at its regular vaccination site. Additionally, from February to June 2021, LATIN-19 organized and participated in multiple vaccination events targeted toward Hispanic communities. Specific engagement strategies included: having known community organizations and leaders reach out to residents directly to inform them about the event and schedule their appointments. Spanish-speaking staff were recruited to work as greeters, vaccinators, observers, and support staff.

A quasi-experimental design was used to compare vaccine rates among Hispanic individuals in Durham County compared to two matched communities in North Carolina. Vaccination rates in those 3 different counties from January to June 2021 were reviewed, with % Hispanic residents noted for each one: Durham (12.9 %), Mecklenburg (12.1%), Forsyth (13%). All three counties are urban, and each have a large medical center. LATIN-19 is based in Durham. There was no known similar community coalition-based targeted outreach done in either Mecklenburg or Forsyth.

Vaccine rates in Durham were also compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the county.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) vaccination dashboard reports rates of vaccination by county and includes age, race, and ethnicity qualifiers. Data from the dashboard were reviewed from January to June 2021 to quantify vaccination rates.

Results: Vaccination rates among all residents show a sustained upward trend in all three counties for the entire six months (Table 1). Higher total rates of vaccination among Hispanic residents were noted in Durham County compared to the others. The largest increase in Durham County (15%) occurred from March to April, which corresponds with the beginning of LATIN-19 interventions.

Vaccine uptake rates among non-Hispanic, white, and black residents in Durham County appear to plateau from March to June 2021, while they continue to increase among Hispanic residents.

Conclusion: Vaccination rates among Hispanic residents in Durham County are higher than in two other matched communities in North Carolina. Innovative coalitions like LATIN-19 can be a successful component of efforts to improve vaccination rates in Hispanic communities. This model can be reproduced and adapted in other counties in North Carolina and in other states.