Welcome to Vaccine Education training for community health workers.
brought to you by the
Stanford Center for Health Education and Digital Medic.
My name is Sarah.
I have worked as a community health worker for five years.
The COVID 19 pandemic has filled me with sadness, but also with hope.
You see,
I have been working countless hours
helping clients who are sick with COVID 19
or who are caring for loved ones who are.
I see the fear in people's eyes
when they think about what may happen to them
if they get sick, but also about what could happen
if they choose to get the vaccine.
I have been talking with people about their concerns.
The messages they are hearing
and I try to provide comfort and guidance.
This has not been easy,
but I have also seen what can happen
when we work together as community health workers
to ease fears and inspire confidence in the vaccines
and other interventions that prevent disease and its spread.
This is why I'm happy to be your guide through this material.
Your connection with the community
is a powerful tool to help others
understand the importance of vaccination
and improve the health of our communities.
To assist your efforts this series of videos
aims to equip you with knowledge
of how viruses and vaccines work
and the skills to communicate effectively about the questions
and concerns people may have about vaccination.
You will learn about how to find reliable information
and how to guide those clients who are prepared
to get vaccinated through the process.
Importantly, you will learn to gather tools to take care of yourself
when you are called to care for others.
The Power of your story.
Millions of people around the world are affected by viruses each year.
Most recently, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, COVID 19,
caused a pandemic that claimed the lives of many
and changed the lives of most.
Vaccination is important to help protect communities
from viruses and their devastating effects.
But there are many reasons why someone chooses to vaccinate or not
and all of these are valid.
They may not know what's in the vaccine,
they may feel fearful of side effects,
or they may not believe they are at risk of getting the virus.
They may have mistrust of health recommendations
because of previous experiences
or messages they have heard from others.
So, it is important that we do more than just share factual information.
We can also help people understand
these feelings and fears before coming to their decision to vaccinate.
How can we do this?
Community trust is key for vaccine uptake.
Stories are one powerful tool
that can help us build trust and motivate people to act.
This works in both directions.
Understanding someone else's story
can help you respond with empathy
and match your message to address their beliefs and values.
Telling your own story
can help connect with underlying values
that relate to your clients concerns.
You can identify common ground.
This leads to openness.
Telling your story can also be more motivating than facts or numbers,
because stories are easier to remember.
I'll share my own story as an example.
I was scared of getting vaccinated at first.
I thought that a vaccine would make me feel poorly
and prevent me from working.
I also have diabetes,
so I was worried that this would make me feel even worse.
But then my sister became ill.
She spent several months recovering in isolation
while her son stayed with me.
I have never been so worried.
During that time, I had a talk with my colleague
who already received her vaccination.
She told me that while she had a little bit of pain,
she felt okay and felt safer when working in her clients homes.
She also reminded me that because I am diabetic,
I am at higher risk of serious disease if I get infected.
I thought about those who were depending on me
and knew that I needed to protect myself.
I went to get the vaccine and I watched myself closely
to see how I would feel.
Everything turned out okay
and I was able to continue visiting people and caring for my nephew.
I have more hope now that I have been vaccinated and feel confident
that the vaccine is a useful tool I can share with others.
I have been learning more and more to be able
to answer the questions from my community
so they may make the choice to vaccinate
and protect themselves and others.
Now think about the experiences you have had.
What helped you decide to vaccinate?
Has there been an experience with a client
that someone may be able to relate to?
Often we can find an example from our lives
that helps us to connect with others.
Like the importance of family,
unique values of a shared culture
or a desire to maintain our health and well-being.
When you find your story,
you can share it in a way that builds a connection and drives action.
Think about sharing your story in three parts.
First, start with the challenge you faced and why this is important to share.
Provide personal details that you feel comfortable sharing
that can help a client feel like they are standing in your shoes.
Then you can describe the moment that caused you
to address the challenge.
What got you to this point?
What made you realize you had to make a change?
This is sometimes called the climax of a story.
Finally, you can make a call for action
and describe why action is important.
Why should your client care?
Be clear and direct about the action you believe someone should take.
In this case, consider vaccination.
Of course, people have a right
to make their own decisions about their health.
Your ability to relate to your clients by sharing your story
as well as factual information supports their decision making process.
It helps them to learn information they may not have known
and think about their ideas from other perspectives.
If a person is unsure about whether
to get vaccinated, a compelling story from a trusted voice
could help to build their confidence.
Take time to identify
and outlines stories from your life
that could drive your community to action.
In another video,
we will discuss
additional communication strategies for promoting vaccine confidence.