arts to build vaccine confidence
The Award Winning Out of Hand Theater, in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health and Performance Hypothesis, is striving to boost confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine through their program, Equitable Vaccines. Equitable Vaccines is an innovative vaccine confidence program that seeks to address vaccine deliberation among community members by intersecting art, information, and meaningful conversation. To achieve this goal, the program has partnered with CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) to offer vaccine events across Georgia. During events, an artistic asset is featured, participants engage in an open, safe, and respectful conversation surrounding the artistic asset and reasons for vaccine deliberation.
Where it all began
Equitable Vaccines—previously known as Time Has Chosen Us—began in late 2021, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the program was supported by CDC Foundation funding and due to the program’s success, secured a $500,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to increase vaccine confidence among citizens in rural Georgia. Recently, this DPH grant was renewed allowing Equitable Vaccines’ to make great strides toward increasing vaccine confidence among both rural Black citizens and Hispanic citizens across Georgia through 2025.
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
Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) began supporting Georgia residents in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering access to vaccines–including the COVID-19 vaccines–assistance with benefits navigation, HIV/STI test kits, and other critical services that address health equity. Demonstrating a commitment to health equity, CORE has administered over 600,000 COVID-19 vaccines to community members and serves as the vaccine partner on this project