From Vaccines to Vitality: The Progression of a Community-Academic Collaboration.

In this practice note, we document the progression of the Community Vaccine Collaborative (CVC), on which we first published in 2021. The CVC convened to address deep COVID-19-related disparities affecting the Black, Latine, immigrant/refugee, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, (questioning), intersex, asexual, and (agender) (LGBTQIA+) communities. The COVID-19 pandemic is rooted in centuries of oppression and marginalization leading to inequities and required dedicated focus to support marginalized communities in times of crisis. The CVC comprises community members, community-based organizations, health care providers, researchers, health systems leaders, and public health practitioners (among others), all of whom are dedicated to promoting COVID-19 vaccine equity. As the pandemic shifts and changes, so too has our group, to remain relevant to community needs and priorities. This article details Year 2 of the CVC, focusing on how we have grown and sustained this unique partnership. We also share results from an evaluation of the CVC, documenting participation in the collaborative space and alignment with CVC core principles. Finally, we discuss next steps and implications for the CVC including our pivot from vaccines to community vitality as we expand and sustain our collaborative efforts to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and intersecting public health crises.

The COVID-19 vaccination experience of non-English speaking immigrant and refugee communities of color: A community co-created study.

In this community-partnered study we conducted focus groups with non-English speaking immigrant and refugee communities of color in 4 languages to understand their perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines, barriers to accessing vaccines, and recommendations for healthcare providers. We used a mixed deductive-inductive thematic analysis approach and human centered design to guide data analysis. 66 individuals participated; 85% were vaccinated. The vaccination experience was often positive; however, participants described language inaccessibility, often relying on family members for interpretation. Community-based organizations played a role in connecting participants to vaccines. Unvaccinated participants expressed fear of side effects and belief in natural immunity. Participants shared recommendations to providers around increasing vaccine access, improving language accessibility, and building trust. Results from our study show numerous barriers immigrant and refugee communities of color faced getting their COVID-19 vaccine, but also highlights opportunities to engage with community partners. Future implications for research, policy, and practice are described.

COVID-19 Information Sources for Black and Latine Communities: A Community Co-created Survey.

BACKGROUND: To ensure equity in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine access, it is critical that Black and Latine communities receive trustworthy COVID-19 information. This study uses community-based participatory research to understand sources of COVID-19 information for Black and Latine adults, how trustworthy that information is, and relationships between information sources and COVID-19 vaccine intention. METHODS: We co-created a survey in Spanish and English and distributed it to Black and Latine adults residing in the Pittsburgh area. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 574 participants who completed the survey. Participants reported accessing a variety of COVID-19 information sources and generally trusted these sources. Few sources of information were associated with COVID-19 vaccine intention. We also review lessons learned from our community-academic collaboration. CONCLUSIONS: Trustworthy COVID-19 information sources may not be sufficient for increasing vaccine intention. Results can help other community-academic partnerships working to improve COVID-19 vaccine equity.

Supporting Children Experiencing Family Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: IPV and CPS Provider Perspectives.

OBJECTIVES: Children experiencing family violence (child abuse and neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence) are at a particularly elevated risk for compounding challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we interviewed intimate partner violence (IPV) advocates, child protective services (CPS) caseworkers, and IPV and CPS administrators on the needs of children experiencing family violence during the pandemic. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews with IPV advocates, CPS caseworkers, and IPV and CPS administrators. Recruitment occurred through emails to national and state listservs, networks of the study team, and word of mouth. Interviews were completed through Zoom, took 45 to 60 minutes and were audio recorded. We used a mixed deductive-inductive content analysis approach. RESULTS: Fifty-nine IPV advocates, 35 IPV administrators, 21 CPS workers and 16 CPS administrators participated in this study. Four themes emerged from this work. Participants discussed the role of social isolation, school closures, and distance learning on children experiencing family violence. They also noted child custody and visitation challenges, particularly in the context of abusive partners using custody to control IPV survivors and limitations to virtual visitation more broadly. Compounding challenges were described for children from marginalized communities due to structural-level inequities. Collaboration was discussed by participants from both IPV and CPS sectors. CONCLUSION: This study is one of the first to describe the way the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children experiencing family violence. Future studies should triangulate these results with children, families, and other child-serving providers.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Needs and Lived Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in the United States: Advocate Perspectives.

We explored the challenges and lived experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic by interviewing 53 U.S.-based IPV advocates between June and November 2020. Advocates described how the COVID-19 pandemic limited survivors' abilities to meet their basic needs. The pandemic was also described as being used by abusive partners to perpetrate control and has created unique safety and harm reduction challenges. IPV survivors experienced compounding challenges due to structural inequities. IPV must be considered by local, state, and federal governments when developing disaster planning policies and practices, including in the context of pandemics.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Intimate Partner Violence Advocates and Agencies.

Relatively few studies have considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intimate partner violence (IPV) advocates or the agencies where they work. In this study, based on United States IPV advocates' experiences working with survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted interviews to explore: 1) personal challenges and resilience working as IPV advocates during the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) how agencies adapted to the pandemic to support IPV survivors and advocates; and 3) specific needs and challenges of culturally-specific agencies. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 53 IPV advocates from June to November 2020. Participants were included if they worked directly with survivors, identified as an IPV advocate, worked at a US-based agency, and spoke and understood English. We created a sampling matrix to ensure adequate representation from IPV advocates serving survivors from communities which have been marginalized. Interviews were conducted through a virtual platform by a trained member of the research team. We used an inductive thematic analysis approach, with weekly coding meetings to resolve discrepancies in coding. Five themes emerged from the data: 1) IPV advocates described how working as an IPV advocate during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted them personally; 2) agencies developed new methods of addressing IPV advocates' needs; 3) agencies developed new solutions to address pandemic-related client needs; 4) transitioning advocacy work to virtual formats created challenges but also opportunities and; 5) pandemic limitations and impacts compounded pre-pandemic challenges for culturally specific agencies. IPV advocates are frontline workers who have played essential roles in adjusting services to meet survivor needs during the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously coping with pandemic impacts on themselves and their agencies. Developing inter-agency collaborations and promoting advocates' safety and wellbeing during future public health crises will help support IPV survivors.

A Community Partnered Approach to Promoting COVID-19 Vaccine Equity.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color. To dismantle these disparities, it is critical to promote COVID-19 vaccine equity, both through increasing vaccine access and addressing vaccine mistrust. This article describes a community-academic collaboration (the Community Vaccine Collaborative [CVC]), whose mission is to ensure COVID-19 vaccine equity among marginalized communities. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, our group has focused on inclusion of marginalized groups into vaccine clinical trials, addressing vaccine mistrust, and building systems to ensuring equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine. We review formation of the CVC, activities to-date, and recommendations for other communities interested in developing similar collaboratives.