As the Public Health Emergency ends tomorrow, May 11, LeadingAge is arming members with a resource to help ensure ongoing well-being in communities across the country. Through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Vaccine Equity and Awareness Program (VEAP), LeadingAge partnered with a multicultural marketing firm to create a toolkit designed to help cultivate strategic partnerships within a community, implement outreach strategies, and develop communications that reach diverse communities.

Though grounded in best practices from partnerships between members in the Washington metropolitan area and local agencies for COVID-specific goals, the members-only Developing Community-Based Partnerships toolkit scope is set broadly to help guide community-based partnerships of different types in any location.

COVID vaccines will no longer be mandatory, but we know providers are always committed to the health and wellness of staff and residents in their communities, which includes staying up-to-date on vaccines. As president and CEO Katie Smith Sloan recently said, “whether or not a mandate is in place, there is no question that COVID-19 vaccines are a safe and effective defense against the virus, which disproportionately impacts older adults and the people who care for them.”

LeadingAge also awarded $80,000 in member grants as part of VEAP to support awareness and access to COVID vaccines among diverse older adults and those who care for them. The project included creating grassroots materials and communications in English and Spanish for members to distribute in their local awareness efforts across the nation.

We will continue to support vaccine education and uptake in our nonprofit, mission-driven member communities, as “ensuring older adults’ well-being and keeping communities safe is at the core of our members’ mission. That’s why throughout the pandemic, LeadingAge has leveraged its longstanding relationships with federal agencies to advocate for and help build critical programs,” said Sloan. 

Members can access the guide now, and a quick tutorial on how to make the most of the Developing Community-Based Partnerships toolkit in the Learning Hub QuickCast here.