Funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) and administered by the Colorado Health Institute (CHI), the COVID-19 Primary Care Vaccination Program aims to increase engagement and enrollment of primary care providers (PCPs) in Colorado’s COVID-19 vaccination program by providing financial support to community-based organizations and health care service providers. Learn more about the COVID-19 Primary Care Vaccination Program at COPCPVax.com.

Approximately $60 million is available for primary care practices across Colorado.

Primary care providers, including pediatric practices, can receive funding ranging from up to $60,000 to $120,000 (depending on practice size) to support the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. To be eligible for funding, practices must also be either enrolled or have started the process of enrolling with CDPHE as a COVID-19 vaccine provider.

Applications open Thursday, September 2, and will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-served basis until all available funds are disbursed. Applications close December 1, 2021. Early submission is encouraged! Apply for funding at: https://forms.gle/RMMFsu15rksZFpYd8.

Learn more about the Primary Care Vaccination Program in an upcoming webinar hosted by AAP Colorado and partners on September 10. Register here.

Resources for Enrolling as a COVID-19 Vaccine Provider:

• CDPHE resources for providers regarding providing COVID-19 vaccinations
• CDPHE toolkit for providers
• CDPHE provider webinar

In August, the CDC revised its recommendations for mask wearing, advising fully-vaccinated individuals to wear a mask indoors in public if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission. To help raise awareness for the importance of COVID-19 vaccination and, in many cases, masking to help curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Immunize Colorado has created “Masked & Vaxxed” face masks. The masks are for sale on Immunize Colorado’s online store. A portion of the proceeds will be donated back to Immunize Colorado to support efforts to make sure all Coloradans have access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines.

From June 23 to July 24, Immunize Colorado ran a Facebook ad campaign to promote the safety, efficacy, and importance of COVID-19 vaccination to Coloradans, with specific focus on those in rural areas and communities of color. The campaign was made possible by the World Health Organization’s Vaccine Safety Net, of which Immunize Colorado is a member, and their partnership with the Facebook Health Partnerships team. The campaign reached nearly 700,000 Coloradans, garnered 5.6 million impressions, and prompted over 30,000 clicks, which directed users to sign up for vaccine appointments. Immunize Colorado has made available the campaign creative for others to utilize in their own COVID-19 promotion efforts.

The Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce (CVET) has created new video and graphic testimonials from Colorado teens who have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine on why they got vaccinated. The videos and graphics are available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded and shared to social media or other mediums. Follow the CVET on Facebook to view and share this and other vaccine equity-related content.

Many Colorado providers were instrumental in the passage of Senate Bill 20-163, regarding immunizations for Colorado’s school entry process. As of July 1, 2021, this new law is in effect and applies to students returning for the 2021-2022 school year. This new law creates a system for increased education for parents and caregivers seeking a nonmedical exemption from vaccines required for school entry. The measure also improves the tracking and reporting system for all immunizations.

In an effort to support pediatric professionals across our state as they help to implement these changes, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), American Academy of Pediatrics – Colorado Chapter, and Immunize Colorado have partnered to create a toolkit: Colorado’s New School Entry Immunization Law: Implementation Guidance and Tools for Primary Care Providers.

The toolkit includes:

• modifiable templates,
• vaccine safety discussion points,
• best practices regarding the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS), and
• official Certificates of Medical and Nonmedical Exemption.

These templates and tools are for primary care providers to utilize and customize as helpful for their practice and unique to their community and patient population. Our aim through the Colorado School Entry Immunization Toolkit is to assist providers in continued efforts to reach families whom they serve, help them understand the importance of vaccinations, and emphasize the role providers play together in keeping students and schools in our communities safe and thriving. (Please note the toolkit link is to a Google folder, which will always have the most up-to-date PDF version of the document, including answers to new questions and resources as needed.)

In addition, our organizations held a webinar on the implementation of Colorado’s new school entry immunization requirements. Access the webinar recording.

Immunize Colorado was awarded a new $100,000 grant from the Urban Institute as part of their national Boosting Vaccine Confidence and Coverage through Community-Based Organizations initiative. This funding is being passed through to Immunize Colorado as part of a larger CDC effort to expand vaccine confidence and access, by partnering and supporting national, state, and community-level agencies and organizations. The goal of the initiative is to increase confidence in and access to COVID-19 and influenza vaccination in racial and ethnic populations that are disproportionately affected and/or have low vaccination rates. As part of the award, Immunize Colorado will receive technical assistance and participate in a national learning collaborative that includes both group and peer learning.

A new video series for non-English speaking community members shares information about COVID-19 vaccines and explains how to sign up for a vaccine appointment at Denver Health. The videos were created in partnership with Denver Health, Immunize Colorado, and the Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce. They are available in Burmese, French, Karen, Nepali, Swahili and Vietnamese, with additional languages available soon.

With recent polling showing that some people in the U.S. who remain unvaccinated need help to take the final step toward vaccination, Colorado funders today announced additional support for on-the-ground efforts in communities across the state to increase COVID-19 vaccination levels and to ensure equitable access to the vaccination. The 39 additional community-based organizations receiving grants are using an array of personalized approaches to answer questions, increase understanding about COVID-19 and the vaccine, and make it easy for more Coloradans to get vaccinated. Personalized outreach efforts to underserved communities and communities of color include door-to-door canvassing, engaging promotoras, providing translation and transportation, and having a presence in trusted community spaces such as churches.

The $1.7 million in funding builds on a first round of more than $2.5 million in grants, supporting a total of 88 community-based organizations statewide. The funding is provided by Together We Protect, a partnership of Immunize Colorado, Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce, and 14 funders (listed below) that came together to create Colorado’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Fund.

On April 1, 2021, Immunize Colorado hosted a presentation for Somali community members in Colorado about COVID-19 vaccines. In the presentation, Dr. Anisa Ibrahim discusses COVID-19 vaccine information, the Colorado vaccine distribution plan, clinic information, and the importance of routine vaccines during the pandemic. Dr. Ibrahim also answers questions from the Somali community about COVID-19 vaccination. Dr. Anisa Ibrahim is the Medical Director at the Harborview Medical Center, Pediatric Clinic in Seattle, WA. Additionally, she is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and serves on the Board of Directors of the Somali Health Board.

The Colorado Health Institute (CHI) has launched online vaccine equity maps that identify populations and communities disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and track vaccination progress across the state. The data show that in many of the state’s more vulnerable areas, vaccination rates are far behind the state average. The data also show, promisingly, that in much of the San Luis Valley and in other communities with lower incomes, more than a third of adults have been vaccinated. The maps were created to support Colorado’s vaccine equity efforts, led by Immunize Colorado and the Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce. The data is also supporting Together We Protect, Colorado’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Fund, as it prioritizes funding for vaccine equity efforts across the state.