In May of 2022, the Snohomish Health District Assessment team conducted a targeted community health assessment looking at childhood vaccination rates. The community health assessment identified that “in both Snohomish County and Washington State, vaccinations in children ages 4 to 6 years old showed an overall decrease in 2020 compared to previous years. This trend was seen across all immunization types. Getting Snohomish County back to baseline immunization rates, and from there increasing childhood vaccine uptake, is a primary public health goal.” We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted routine childcare which also contributed to the decrease in uptake of childhood vaccinations.
The purpose of this grant is to provide us with technical assistance, help build capacity, and provide resources to address vaccine hesitancy across the lifespan for routine, influenza, COVID-19, and other vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). If selected, our team will receive training, technical assistance, and other resources to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, build partnerships with other local organizations, and identify areas of need to improve vaccine confidence and uptake. Under this grant, we hope to build capacity in mobilizing our efforts to address vaccine hesitancy, deliver comprehensive immunization education, and mitigate the occurrence of vaccine preventable diseases in our communities.
We currently have a Vaccine Health Educator, Vaccine Coordinator, and Vaccine Public Health Nurse actively working on separate projects to address the needs of our medical providers and community around vaccine education. This grant would allow us to explore the various factors that contribute to vaccine hesitancy and address it in a systematic and collaborative way.
We are coming to the full board due to the timing of the submission of the application, which is due Monday, October 24, 2022, by 11:59pm PST.
Maximum Funding Amount: Up to $100,000
Estimated Period of Performance: November 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023 (9 months). Contingent on CDC approval of a no-cost extension, the project period of performance may continue beyond the specified contract end date.
Application due: October 24, 2022, 11:59 P.M. PST
Staffing Impacts:
Staffing Impacts:
There are two positions that would utilize this funding:
- Public Health Nurse, .8 FTE
- Currently, this position within the vaccine preventable disease program is funded from the District's general funds. This grant would allow us to fund the position with grant funds instead.
- Epidemiologist II, .2 FTE
- We would add one of our current epidemiologists who is currently partially under the District general fund to dedicate .2 FTE to this work as a requirement of the grant is to conduct a Rapid Community Health Assessment.