Helping to Protect Babies in Underserved Communities in the United States
Partnering to Help ProtectTM is a collaboration led by the Pediatric team in US Pfizer Vaccines and national, state and local organizations to advance an important public health need in the United States: increasing vaccine education, awareness and access in underserved communities.
At Pfizer, our commitment to ensuring access to health resources — including vaccination — spans from humanitarian aid initiatives in developing nations to innovative commercial efforts in underserved communities in the United States, where approximately 30% of Hispanic and 35% of African American children aged 19-35 months were not fully vaccinated with all CDC-recommended immunizations as of 2017.1 We know that solutions providing increased health access in these communities will require fresh thinking, diverse collaborations and tailored approaches to the unique needs of each community.
That’s why, in 2017, our Marketing team joined with our Field Force colleagues in low-immunization communities to bring forward big ideas to improve vaccination awareness. Thus, Partnering to Help Protect was born – piloted in 2018 in Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh – in collaboration with local non-profit groups and health systems to sponsor programs that promote vaccination of babies according to the CDC-recommended immunization schedule.
In each market, leveraging the knowledge and networks of our Field Force, we have engaged credible organizations and influential voices in the community to address specific barriers to vaccination, especially in lower income African American and Hispanic communities. Through a diverse mix of activities, the Partnering to Help Protect program has reached over 12.8 million people with health and vaccination education resources, addressing a vital need to help protect our children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“The YMCA is all about building better and healthier communities, and we’re so fortunate to work with Pfizer to be able to bring health and vaccination education resources to families.” – Lharissa Jacobs, Community Development Executive Director, YMCA of Greater Houston
Pfizer colleagues with a family in Philadelphia
Program Highlights:
“I am proud to be involved in the Partnering to Help Protect program, which has created a new opportunity for my team to meaningfully engage in grassroots efforts with influential partners to help protect babies and support families.” – Mickie Cole, Pfizer Vaccine Account Manager – Tennessee
Detroit vaccination PSA featuring retired football player Herman Moore
1Hill HA, Elam-Evans LD, Yankey D, Singleton JA, Kang Y. Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months — United States, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1123–1128. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6740a4.
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