Needs Assessment 2021
Ongoing Assessment Survey Heading link
In summer 2021, we identified 186 community-serving programs providing COVID-19 education, testing, and vaccination in Chicagoland. We conducted interviews with 35 program leaders. The programs served communities of color with the worse local COVID-19 outcomes. Most programs were actively delivering COVID-19 vaccination (66%) and testing (51%); 37% were actively evaluating their programs. Trusted-messenger systems (e.g., peer outreach) were mentioned as effective in overcoming client barriers to vaccination and testing. A majority (69%) of programs reported relying on volunteers or having staff/resources stretched to the maximum. Funding needs were emphasized. Support for CHW trainings and promotional efforts (e.g., improving social/traditional media reach) were also important program needs. We used this information to directly inform our activities over the next year. We are preparing a manuscript of these results and presented them at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in November 2022.