We know how busy you are. Between stakeholder meetings, media interviews, internal communications with your team, and coordinating with multiple agencies across your jurisdiction, your day is jam-packed. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 response efforts, it can be overwhelming to find the time to research new resources, attend educational webinars, and connect with your colleagues across the country. So how do you learn about what’s working or not working for them? How can you stay up to date on the latest tools, best practices, and collaborate with others in roles like yours?

That’s where we come in. The teams at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) have joined forces to strengthen public health systems and services by improving the COVID-19 pandemic communication capacity of state and local health jurisdictions. Working together, public health communicators and vaccine demand strategists will have the opportunity to participate in a program designed to provide participants with real-time expertise and cutting-edge tactics to strengthen public health communication.

Vaccine demand strategists are new positions, funded by CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). NCIRD is currently working with health departments to hire sixty-four strategists nationwide. These positions will collaborate with teams and individuals across agencies to create and implement COVID-19 and routine vaccination strategies in public health departments.

We all have the same goal: to develop and deliver communications that provide credible, timely information that addresses the public’s concerns about COVID-19 – the ongoing threat of the virus and how vaccines can help protect them and their communities. To support you in this effort, we will send a monthly newsletter filled with resources, tools, and training opportunities regarding communication strategies that build vaccine confidence as well as connects you with your colleagues across public health.

We also want to help you grow and take care of yourself as a leader despite the challenges of burnout and stress you’re facing. Our priority is to support you in communicating and engaging effectively with the public during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Funding for this project was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of the Associate Director for Communication and National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.