The Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF), in partnership with Michigan State University (MSU) and the Michigan Public Health Institute, is engaging in a new collaborative effort to promote COVID-19 vaccine knowledge and increase vaccination rates in Flint.

The National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity, or NNICE project, seeks to address the barriers preventing people of color from getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The project is funded in part by a $6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to MSU.

Flint is among a few communities in the country selected for this project. NNICE is working in five areas across the country, including Chicago, eastern North Carolina and Baltimore. NNICE will partner with local organizations to develop media campaigns and other methods to promote vaccination and share information about vaccines and COVID-19.

In partnership with MSU, CFGF is administering $900,000 in funding from the CDC for a year of research on solutions to increase adult vaccination.

“We will be working with our grantee partners to amplify current vaccine outreach efforts,” Isaiah M. Oliver, CFGF president and CEO and CMF trustee said. “The focus is on adult vaccinations, particularly the COVID-19 vaccine, for ages 50 and younger to ensure a safer, healthier community.”

The NNICE project is led by Dr. Debra Furr-Holden, the associate dean for Public Health Integration at MSU’s College of Human Medicine. Furr-Holden was a previous appointee to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities and serves as the director of the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions, funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

"African American adults are vaccinated at lower rates compared to other populations," Furr-Holden said in a press release. "We want to better understand why and address the structural inequities that are driving these disparities."

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 50% of Michiganders have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of August 18. However, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black Michiganders make up only 10% of the state’s fully vaccinated population while accounting for 23% of the state’s deaths from COVID-related complications.

NNICE researchers hope to address the barriers facing Black Michiganders in getting vaccinated.

"The goal of the grant is to boost COVID-19 and other adult vaccine literacy, confidence, access and receipt," Furr-Holden said. "We will implement innovative strategies with communities as equitable partners in the work and engage multiple sectors of society."

CFGF will work with organizations in the Flint area to promote vaccinations among Black residents. Current organizational partners include NAACP, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the National Medical Association.

"We will implement community-driven interventions that make a real difference in these communities and build an evidence base for innovative strategies moving forward," Furr-Holden said. "People are getting sick and dying in the face of viable public health solutions. The time to act is now."

Want more?

Read more about NNICE.

Learn about CFGF’s other COVID-related work.

View the Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker.