As part of a comprehensive effort to support state leaders as they navigate the COVID-19 response, the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) convened a meeting in July 2021 with a geographically diverse set of state officials and national experts to share best practices and innovative approaches to increase COVID-19 vaccinations.
Though the landscape continues to evolve rapidly, the participants discussed several themes that remain relevant given the current state of the pandemic. Participating state officials discussed strategies to reach unvaccinated individuals and policy and operational shifts to living with COVID-19 as a constant rather than a crisis.
This issue brief includes a summary of the meeting discussion as well as additional details on specific state approaches, including:
- Identifying reasons for hesitancy and identifying effective, culturally responsive messaging to reach all populations
- Enhancing targeted partnership and outreach and including trusted messengers
- Reducing barriers to vaccine access in primary care settings
- Engaging communities and providing easy access
- Using financial strategies to incentivize vaccine uptake
- Navigating political and legal issues
- Improving the use of data to increase equitable access to vaccines
