arts to build vaccine confidence
The award-winning Equitable Vaccines (EqVax) program, co-developed by Out of Hand Theater and Performance Hypothesis, is an innovative public health initiative designed to address vaccine deliberation through the intersection of art, information, and meaningful dialogue. In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DHP) and CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), EqVax has brought artistic experiences and open, respectful conversations to communities across the state of Georgia, creating welcoming spaces for people to explore their concerns and make informed decisions about vaccination.
Where it
all began
EqVax, originally launched as Time Has Chosen Us, began in late 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially supported by CDC Foundation funding, the program’s early success led to a $500,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), administered through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to boost vaccine confidence in rural Black communities in Georgia. Building on that success, the program expanded its outreach in 2025 to include rural Black as well as Hispanic communities across the state. Several Spanish-language artistic assets were created, and community engagement was underway when the program was unexpectedly canceled due to the rescission of HHS funds in March 2025.
Although the funding cut presented a setback, EqVax is not a program of the past. The EqVax team is actively seeking new partnerships and support to continue this vital work, making a meaningful impact through innovative public health storytelling and intentional community dialogue. Stay tuned!
Program partners
Performance Hypothesis (PH) is a leading arts and health consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to enhancing public health equity through transformative arts programs and community engagement. PH specializes in implementing culturally responsive programming, research, and program evaluation. PH has been entrusted to manage and quantify the impact of Equitable Vaccines
Out of Hand works at the intersection of art, social impact, and civic engagement. We help create a more just world through programs that combine theater and film with information and conversation.
Since 2001, Out of Hand has collaborated with dozens of community partners to produce programs that combine art to open hearts, information to open minds, and conversation to inspire action. Our programs include Equitable Dinners, Shows in Homes, Community Collaborations, Creative Kids, and the Institute for Equity Activism. All our programs are based on addressing Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s triple evils of war, poverty, and racism, and they take place in homes, schools, businesses, houses of worship, public spaces, and on Zoom.