Good Morning!,

We express gratitude to our partner, CDC, who is initiating with this newsletter a listing of resources (below under CDC Rural Health Partner Updates) that are targeted to our work in implementing our Vaccinate with Confidence efforts and our Immunization Education Pilot Programs.  This listing of CDC resources will be placed on the EXCITE webpage.  As CDC identifies new resources, they will be published in this newsletter and also added to the website.  Please be sure to give this list your review with your proposed project in mind.

Please note – every institution with an EXCITE project needs to respond to this request:

• Relative to contract agreements, we need your permission to list your institution as an award recipient for EXCITE.  We are ready to announce Activity 1 and soon will be ready to announce Activity 2 recipients.  We ask that Extension Directors, Administrators, or the appropriate person of authority respond to the request so that we can include your institution in any announcements. You can respond to this request at this link. 

My best,

Michelle Rodgers

Associate Dean and Director

University of Delaware

EXCITE Project Director
michellerodgers@extension.org

Kathryn “Katie” Stofer, PhD

Assistant Project Director for Immunization Education, EXCITE

Research Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist

University of Florida

katiestofer@extension.org

EXCITE Application Updates

We are “Excited” about the number of LGU’s that submitted applications for both Activity 1 and Activity 2.  KUDOS to all of us for pulling these together with such an evolving timeframe and amid COVID itself. Notifications will be forthcoming shortly. Announcements of all funding decisions will be made pending approval by each institution.

Upcoming Activity 1 and Activity 2 Kickoff Events

Please plan to have at least the project team lead (or another designated team member) attend one of the two Activy 1 kickoff events.

For applicants for Activity 2, please plan to have the project team lead and as many collaborators at your institution as possible attend the kickoff for Acitiviy 2, should you be funded. In either case, health partners are welcome, but not required for both.

Activity 1 Kickoff

June 10th OR June 14th

2 PM – 4 PM ET

REGISTER HERE

Activity 2 Kickoff

June 23rd

2 PM – 4 PM ET

REGISTER HERE

Input Needed!

During our LGU hesitancy workshop, we found challenges that we have within our own extension system related to vaccine hesitancy. We are considering a project focusing on developing Extension personnel ourselves as key leaders around vaccination, and to do so, need to address our own hesitancy. We are asking for any input you might have – especially surveys, but anecdotal or narrative data is also helpful – about vaccine hesitancy among Extension personnel. This can be COVID vaccination specific or otherwise. Please send anything you have to katiestofer@extension.org

CDC Rural Health Partner Updates

Updates as of May 18, 2021

New and Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance

• CDC Director Statement on Pfizer’s Use of COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents Age 12 and Older | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC
• Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People | CDC
• COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens | CDC
• Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety | CDC
• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety | CDC
• Pediatric Healthcare Professionals COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit | CDC
• When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated | CDC
• Choosing Safer Activities
• Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence

• COVID-19 Community Corps | WECANDOTHIS.HHS.GOV
  • Rural Community Toolkit | WECANDOTHIS.HHS.GOV
• Vaccinate with Confidence: COVID-19 Vaccines Strategy | CDC
• Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

Communication Toolkits, Social Media, & Other Resources

• COVID-19 Vaccination | CDC (For healthcare workers)
• Health Equity | COVID-19 | CDC
• Print Resources | CDC (This site has all CDC COVID-19 print-only materials)
• Easy to Read COVID-19 Messaging (Primarily for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities)
• Social Media Toolkit for COVID-19 Vaccinations
• Communication Resources for COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

• https://www.vaccines.gov/    https://www.vacunas.gov/ (Español)
• CDC maintains an active social media presence. You can find and share the latest social messages by visiting:
  • [Domestic]: CDC – Home | Facebook
  • [Domestic]: CDC (@CDCgov) / Twitter
  • [Domestic]: CDC – Instagram
  • [Global]: CDC Global – Home | Facebook
  • [Global]: CDC Global Health (@CDCGlobal) / Twitter
  • [Global]: CDC Global – Instagram

COVID-19 Case/Vaccination Data & Maps

• COVID-19 Data Tracker and rural classification (go to “Your Community” then “County View”)

COVID-19 Publications

• Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Between Urban and Rural Counties — United States, December 14, 2020–April 10, 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
• The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years — United States, May 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
• Updated Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine After Reports of Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Among Vaccine Recipients — United States, April 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
• COVID-19 Outbreak Among Farmworkers — Okanogan County, Washington, May–August 2020 | MMWR (April 2021)
• COVID-19 Among Workers in the Seafood Processing Industry: Implications for Prevention Measures — Alaska, March–October 2020 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
• Postvaccination SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among Skilled Nursing Facility Residents and Staff Members — Chicago, Illinois, December 2020–March 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)

News Articles

• Vaccinating Rural America: Q&A with Dr. Amanda Cohn – The Rural Monitor (ruralhealthinfo.org)