Cone Health partnership leads to higher COVID-19 vaccination rates

Cone Health, based in Greensboro, N.C., relied on its Congregational Nurse Program and the Guilford County Health Department to set up church-based sites for COVID-19 testing and vaccination in Black and rural communities. The program resulted in rising vaccination rates. The congregational nurses are church members serving as health advisers to their co-parishioners. They are trusted community members who explained the benefits of testing and vaccination. The initiative is expanding to design interventions for hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Other partners in the program included Project RARE (Reciprocal, Authentic Relationships for Equity), an initiative of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, and the North Carolina Action Coalition. (Campaign for Action blog post, 6/16/22)