LEBANON – Widespread confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines against infectious diseases is critical to protect and promote public health, whether we’re in a pandemic or not. As the world currently battles COVID-19, vaccine rates are still far below levels needed to end the pandemic. Public and private agencies are working to remove logistical barriers for people seeking vaccination, but still, more than 35 percent of people currently decline vaccination, or are vaccine hesitant, despite strong public health recommendations.

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) is committed not only to promoting vaccines for all, but providing ongoing education and important tools to assure the public that vaccination against COVID-19 is the key to ending the pandemic.

Starting Thursday, September 30, Project ECHO will launch a seven-part series titled “Promoting Vaccine Confidence: COVID-19 and Beyond.” The free online course will explore diverse drivers of vaccine uptake and will provide strategies to overcome concerns and increase vaccine acceptance.

Sessions will be held on Thursdays from 12 to 1 p.m., concluding on December 16. Topics addressed will be:

The Scientific Basis of COVID-19 Vaccination

Emerging Issues in COVID-19 Vaccination; Boosters, Breakthroughs, Variants

Understanding the Drivers for Increasing Vaccine Uptake

Effective Communications to Increase Vaccine Confidence and Uptake

Misinformation, Disinformation and the Media

Promoting Vaccine Uptake in Young Families, including Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and Children

Organizational Strategies to Increase Vaccine Uptake: Using Carrots and Sticks

Health care providers, social service providers, business leaders, and the community at large are encouraged to register. To learn more and register, visit https://connect.echodartmouth-hitchcock.org/Series/Registration/1423.

To learn more about Project ECHO, visit https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/project-echo.