ILLINOIS VACCINATES
AGAINST COVID-19
Supporting COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts in Illinois
Enduring Resources to Help Vaccinate Against COVID-19
Illinois Vaccinates Against COVID-19, more commonly known as I-VAC, began as a coordinated response effort to help health care providers in Illinois integrate COVID-19 vaccines into routine clinical workflows. Starting in 2021, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in partnership with ECHO Chicago, and the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, began developing resources, toolkits, and outreach messaging, and offering live trainings.
From August 2021 to June 2024, I-VAC had an incredible impact on the COVID-19 vaccine landscape of Illinois.
What We’ve Learned Along the Way
Supporting Health Care Providers Matters
The COVID-19 pandemic shed a light on public health, infectious disease control and vaccine development. During this time, we were able to identify pain points in training and educating health care providers in a timely manner, necessities in the implementation of a new vaccine, better ways to communicate with patients, and about the different systems that impact pandemic response. These insights gave ICAAP and our partners invaluable insight for effective outreach, collaboration and messaging be to meet future needs should we be faced with another pandemic.
Because COVID-19 isn’t going away, we’ve curated easy-to-use toolkits and resources so your clinic can continue to safely administer COVID-19 vaccines and conduct outreach to patients.
SELF-GUIDED TOOLKITS
Social Media Messaging
Vaccine FAQs
Provider Podcasts
Patient-Facing Video Resources
Translated Materials
Clinical Guidance & Education
To ensure health care providers in Illinois have access to guidance and resources regarding COVID-19 vaccines moving forward, we have created and aggregated a series of helpful resources that can be referenced at any time. Continue to build your skills and set best practices for your clinic, with resources like:
- COVID-19 Dosage Charts
- COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs
- Implementation Toolkit
- Beyond the Needle Podcast
- I-VAC Newsletter
Social Media Campaigns
In order to help keep the importance of COVID-19 vaccines at top of mind for Illinois individuals and families, we have developed a series of social media campaigns, complete with posting guides, to use on your social media platforms. Simply download the images and copy to start sharing COVID-19 vaccine messaging all year long. These campaigns include:
- Summer COVID-19 Safety
- Back to School COVID-19 Vaccine Reminders
- Cold, Flu, & Respiratory Virus Season Vaccine Reminders
- Holiday COVID-19 Safety
Patient Outreach
To help health care providers in Illinois reach their patients, wherever they are, we’ve developed a diverse set of patient outreach collateral. These posters and handouts are easy to share. Hang them in high-traffic areas, place in exam rooms or give them directly to patients during appointments. These enduring messages are uniquely written to encourage COVID-19 vaccination all year long, during the winter months and beyond, and include:
- Outreach Posters
- Patient Handouts
- Doctors, Patients, Facts Video Resources
Combatting Misinformation
Part of improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake is combatting the rampant misinformation spreading on social media, through false news outlets, and by word of mouth. To help Illinois health care providers better address these myths and misunderstandings, we’ve developed a robust toolkit that provides key insights on topics like:
- Existing Misinformation on Vaccines
- How Misinformation Spreads
- How to Address Misinformation
- Motivational Interviewing Techniques
- Managing Refusals
Resources for Chicago Providers
Chicago providers face unique challenges and requirements for vaccine implementation and uptake. To better support you, we have developed specific resources with key information for Chicago-based clinics, including:
- COVID-19 Response Toolkit
- Social Media Messaging Toolkits
- Translated Outreach Materials in Spanish, Polish, and Arabic
GETTING SUPPORT GOING FORWARD
While the I-VAC program is ending, the resources, toolkits, and outreach materials are always available for download and use. These materials were uniquely designed to ensure year-long, relevant messaging so you can feel confident using them in 2024 and beyond. For future COVID-19 vaccine-related initiatives and other immunization efforts, please visit ICAAP’s Immunization page. The ICAAP Immunizations team will be managing communications, updates, and needs moving forward.
A THANK YOU TO ALL PROVIDERS
I-VAC understands that primary care practices and hospitals are essential in COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Illinois. We recognize all the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that health care providers and provider organizations made throughout the pandemic and are grateful for your continued work in protecting our individuals and families in Illinois.
