For Immediate Release Contact: Beth Sundstrom, PhD, MPH November 15, 2022 Communication Director, SCIC bls@cofc.edu

[Columbia, SC] – The SC Vaccine Equity Workgroup, coordinated via the statewide 501c3 nonprofit South Carolina Immunization Coalition (SCIC), is excited to announce the launch of the social media toolkit resource for community partners as part of its multi-layered Every Visit is a Vaccine Visit (EV3) initiative to build vaccine confidence and increase awareness of vaccine availability at every visit with a healthcare provider.
“Immunizations are essential to primary prevention of disease. The pandemic disrupted families’ access to routine vaccines and preventive health conversations with their providers, resulting in many children who are unprotected against diseases like measles and the flu,” said Beth Poore, SC Vaccine Equity Workgroup facilitator. “It’s important for families and providers to talk about vaccines at any healthcare or pharmacy visit.”
Through funding support from Vaccinate Your Family, workgroup members collaborated with leading researchers at College of Charleston and Clemson University to assemble an easy-to-use social media resource with 10 weeks of sample daily messaging and graphics for healthcare providers, immunizers, and all school and community partners to use on their organization’s social media platforms to amplify the message to make every visit count. Partners can request the toolkit here.
SCIC identified four counties with low student vaccination coverage rates in each region of the Palmetto state to focus EV3 efforts, based on an analysis of recent school vaccination data available from SC DHEC. In addition to the EV3 social media campaign, the Vaccine Equity Workgroup received generous program support funding from the CCME Foundation to host a series of motivational interviewing skills building workshops for immunizers and healthcare professionals that reside in and/or serve Cherokee, Chesterfield, Jasper, and Lancaster counties in early 2023.
“We know the pandemic has involved a lot of vaccine mis-and dis-information online and on social media, leading to people having mixed feelings about the COVID-19 vaccine, which has ultimately impacted how people feel about vaccines overall,” says Alexandra Hayes, SCIC Organizing Director. “Along with using the EV3 toolkit resource, motivational interviewing skills training will help equip immunizing professionals with conversation tools to effectively address patient concerns about vaccines.”
SCIC is dedicated to convening vaccine champions across the state to protect people of all ages from common and serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Partners in Cherokee, Chesterfield, Jasper, and Lancaster counties, and throughout the Palmetto state, are encouraged to join the effort to build vaccine confidence in our communities. Submit a request for the toolkit here, and learn more about the EV3 initiative on the coalition’s website. Everyone is invited to join the coalition’s upcoming general membership meeting on November 16 at 12PM for a special session on Social Media Strategies for Vaccine Communication.
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