Building Trust in Vaccines and Vaccination Programs | Building Vaccine Confidence with APhA

Featured Guests

• Brigid Groves, PharmD, MS
• Mitch Rothholz, RPh, MBA, FAPhA
• Lucas Berenbrok, PharmD, MS, BCACP, FAPhA

Key Takeaway

Tools and techniques pharmacists can use to foster trust with patients regarding vaccines.

CDC’s "Vaccinate with Confidence" Initiative Protect Communities

CDC is supporting partners to find and protect communities at risk through new investments and partnerships.

• Leverage CDC’s Immunization and Vaccines for Children cooperative agreement to support efforts to identify and respond to areas with low vaccine coverage.
• Public trust in pharmacists and pharmacy teams helps reinforce vaccine messages.
• Collaboration with community leaders and influencers is crucial—messages must be evidence-based and credible.

Best Practices for Pharmacists

• "Walk the talk"—if you or a family member received concomitant vaccines, share your experience.
  • Example: "I received three vaccines at one visit (flu, COVID, and RSV), and I am here to talk about it (and I do)."
• Engage with patients by listening rather than lecturing.
• Acknowledge patient concerns and provide them with information to consider.
• Vaccine hesitancy is not the same as being anti-vaccine—many patients are "vaccine contemplators."

Vaccine Effectiveness COVID-19 Vaccines

• Effectiveness Against Severe Outcomes
  • Updated vaccines (September 2023 – January 2024) have been effective against XBB lineage and the new JN.1 variant.
• Waning Protection
  • Booster doses are recommended as vaccine effectiveness declines over time.
• Population Variability
  • Effectiveness varies based on age, underlying health conditions, and other factors (e.g., immunocompromised individuals may experience different levels of protection).

General Vaccine Effectiveness

• Real-World Conditions
  • Effectiveness is measured under real-world conditions, factoring in vaccine type, dosage, and timing.
• Monitoring & Updates
  • The CDC continuously tracks vaccine effectiveness to adjust recommendations as needed.

Impact of Vaccination

• Measles: Cases reduced from hundreds of thousands annually to only 49 in 2021.
• Polio: The U.S. has been polio-free since 1979.
• Hepatitis B: Routine vaccination significantly reduces liver cancer risk.
• Childhood Vaccinations:
  • 100% reduction in cases of diphtheria, Hib, measles, mumps, polio, and rubella.
  • Influenza incidence reduced by 17%.
• Overall Impact:
  • Childhood immunizations have averted over 24 million cases of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S.
  • Between 1994-2013, vaccinations prevented:
    • 322 million cases of disease
    • 21 million hospitalizations
    • 732,000 deaths

Public Health Strategies

• Use immunization data to identify areas of low vaccine coverage.
• Engage with local health departments to monitor vaccine-preventable disease trends.
• Strengthen immunization programs to enhance outbreak response.
• Encourage collaboration among healthcare providers—it shouldn’t matter who vaccinates, the goal is increasing immunization rates.

Empowering Families

CDC is partnering with key organizations to strengthen vaccine conversations between providers and parents.

Strategies

• Start vaccine conversations early, targeting parents of infants and pregnant women.
• Reduce hesitancy and improve access in community health centers.
• Develop provider toolkits to address parental concerns during outbreaks.

Combating Misinformation

CDC is working with local messengers and partners to stop vaccine myths.

Challenges & Key Messages

• New administration statements have increased vaccine doubts, making conversations harder.
• There is no link between vaccines and autism, diabetes, or other diseases.
• Investments in Public Trust:
  • Work with social media companies to promote trustworthy vaccine information.
  • Provide accessible, accurate vaccine data to policymakers.
  • Engage state and local health officials to counter misinformation effectively.

Priorities for 2020 and Beyond

CDC aims to ensure that every community is protected through:

• Data-driven strategies to identify vulnerable populations.
• Expanding local resources to strengthen vaccination efforts.
• Building a culture of immunization in healthcare settings.
• Improving public communication on vaccines.
• Enhancing partnerships to promote immunization initiatives.

Ten Key Messages for Pharmacists Engaging with Vaccine-Hesitant Individuals

1. Vaccines Save Lives – They prevent serious diseases and save millions of lives each year.
2. Rigorous Testing – Vaccines undergo extensive trials and continuous monitoring to ensure safety and effectiveness.
3. Community Immunity – Vaccination protects those who cannot be vaccinated, such as infants and immunocompromised individuals.
4. Combating Misinformation – Rely on credible sources for vaccine facts. Misinformation fuels fear and hesitation.
5. Mild Side Effects – Most side effects (e.g., sore arm, mild fever) are temporary. Severe side effects are extremely rare.
6. Consult Healthcare Providers – Encourage patients to ask healthcare professionals for reassurance.
7. Vaccines and Fertility – There is no evidence that vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, affect fertility.
8. Herd Immunity – High vaccination rates protect entire communities.
9. Rapid Vaccine Development Explained – COVID-19 vaccines were developed quickly due to unprecedented funding and collaboration—without compromising safety.
10. Long-Term Benefits – Vaccination prevents future outbreaks and contributes to long-term public health.

Pharmacists’ Role in Addressing Hesitancy

• Provide accurate, evidence-based information.
• Listen actively to patients' concerns.
• Engage with community health workers to strengthen local vaccination efforts.

Listen to all 3-parts of this series: 

https://pharmacypodcast.com/2025/03/10/vaccine-confident-podcast-series/