Health Champions
What are Health Champions?
- Health Champions are community volunteers who help their friends and neighbors learn more about health in their community.
- Health Champions usually work in teams of two. *One of pair must have some kind of formal health background.
- Health Champions schedule and conduct health outreach in their communities.
- Health Champions follow a provided health outreach plan to conduct outreach.
*Health background may come from being a nurse, medical or health care social worker, physician, medical researcher, or health science instructor.
What is the Vaccine Literacy outreach program?
Vaccine Literacy is a Health Champions program to help community members achieve “vaccine literacy” by learning the “3 S’s” science, safety, and significance of vaccines.
- Science: How do vaccines work?
- Safety: How do scientists know vaccines are safe?
- Significance: How do vaccines help communities manage our health?
Community members participate in Vaccine Literacy outreach. They share in reading out loud and discussing a story called Voices for Vaccines.
Vaccine Literacy is a non-judgmental and safe place to learn and ask questions. While the safety and benefits of vaccines are discussed, community members are not pressured to get vaccines.
What do Health Champions do in the Vaccine Literacy program?
- Schedule and invite people to Vaccine Literacy Outreach.
- Conduct Vaccine Literacy outreach following the Vaccine Literacy Outreach Plan.
- Complete the Vaccine Literacy Discussion Log after each session and submit to WE4H staff.
What are characteristics of Health Champions?
Are you?
- Passionate about health in community and the power of vaccinations?
- Fully vaccinated against COVID-19?
- Able to organize meetings and manage time?
- Able to listen to people’s vaccine fears and misconceptions with compassion and patience?
- Able to create an environment where everyone is comfortable sharing their ideas?
- Have time to work with a co-Health Champion to schedule and facilitate discussions?
- Able to connect with many people to invite to discussions?
What are the benefits of being a Health Champion?
- Get to know your neighbors even better.
- Gain skills to facilitate discussions.
- Contribute to your community’s knowledge of vaccines.
- Help your community members feel more comfortable considering getting vaccines.
- Receive personal incentives for your effort.
How do I become a Health Champion?
To become a Health Champion, you will complete a 2-hour training and demonstrate a basic knowledge of how vaccines work and their importance for individuals and communities in a post-training quiz. You will receive $30 for attending.
If you’d like to become a Health Champion, submit the contact form below, and we will notify you about the next training opportunity. Both online and in-person training is available.
Stories used by Health Champions in outreach
Voices for Vaccines (longer story), Victory for Vaccines (shorter story) and Vaccine FAQs are used by Health Champions to start the discussion about vaccines.
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