Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/21/2021 --Intermountain Healthcare is collaborating with a coalition of 60 of America's top hospitals and healthcare institutions nationwide campaign to encourage adults to get their COVID-19 vaccination.
The campaign, "Get the Vaccine to Save Lives," is designed to reassure the public that vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary to achieve herd immunity and return to normal activities.
The campaign's goal is to reach adults who are hesitant to receive a vaccine, including racial and minority ethnic groups and people living in rural communities. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey published March 30, 17% of the public say they will take a wait-and-see approach before getting it themselves, and another 20% say they will never get a vaccine or will only get it if required to do so for work, school, or other activities. This leaves a significant portion of the population at risk of going unvaccinated.
The nationwide campaign includes print and digital advertising, media outreach, social media, an awareness video, and an informational website. Ethos Creative Group of Burlington, North Carolina, created the campaign and donated their services. The New York Times, The Washington Post, Spectrum Reach, and USA Today also provided complimentary resources.
"During a pandemic, we are all in this together," said Tamara Sheffield, MD, medical director for Intermountain Healthcare Community Health and Prevention. "When we protect ourselves, we are protecting all those around us, and vaccines are our best tool to get through it."
Vaccination appointments locally are available by signing up at www.intermountain.com/covidvaccine.
With vaccine distribution currently underway, the campaign aims to help Americans feel safe and confident about receiving a vaccine. To achieve herd immunity and help end the pandemic, leading health officials say at least 75% of the population needs to receive a vaccine. Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who have been vaccinated.
"I have confidence in vaccines and confidence in our community to step up and help each other by getting vaccinated," said Dr. Sheffield. "Vaccines can give us all the peace of mind that we are protected."
More than 195 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 48% of the population age 18 and over has received at least one vaccine dose in the U.S. through April 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration's rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization.
About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,600 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs.
