NACDS, community leaders look to increase COVID vaccination rates
To reach the nation’s goal of administering at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of U.S. adults by the Fourth of July, republican, democratic and independent mayors are urging members of their communities who have not yet been vaccinated to join with them in receiving their COVID-19 vaccine.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention are collaborating with mayors from the Forum for Community Leaders.
In addition, the organizations are mobilized for an “all-of-America sprint” to get 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4.
This initiative previously comes on the heels of President Joe Biden declaring that June would be a month of action to help boost vaccinations, recognizing mayors’ and pharmacies’ continued and pivotal role in encouraging COVID-19 vaccines and increasing vaccination rates across the nation.
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“NACDS is pleased to continue this important collaboration with the National Forum and with the strong support of FCL and mayors nationwide. Pharmacists and mayors are among some of the most trustworthy community messengers and have a critical role to play when it comes to encouraging vaccinations,” said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson. “Advancing vaccine confidence and uptake is not a one-size-fits-all approach. As we continue our efforts, we look forward to engaging in COVID-19 vaccination dialogue with myriad groups and individuals in every corner of America, and to working alongside other trusted and local voices to reach those individuals hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.”
NACDS and the National Forum released six new PSAs, featuring Mayor Acquanetta Warren of Fontana, Calif.; Mayor Christina Muryn of Findlay, Ohio; Mayor Dan Pope of Lubbock, Texas; Mayor Brad Hart of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Mayor Mike Coffman of Aurora, Colo.; and Mayor Billy Hewes of Gulfport, Miss. They urged Americans who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated to help return to the activities they know and love.
In addition to Mayor Warren, who is also the FCL chair, leaders of other mayoral associations — including AAMA president and Mayor McKinley Price of Newport News, Va., and U.S. Conference of Mayors president Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio — are among the mayors participating in the initiative.
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“We all want to live as free as we did before the pandemic. Choosing to get vaccinated will help all of us get back to doing just that. The freedom and opportunity that await our communities as we put this pandemic behind us are enormous,” said Fontana, Calif. Mayor and Forum for Community Leaders chair Warren. “The work of getting this important message out to our communities has been essential. The value of the partnership of these three groups working together — across the nation — cannot be overstated. This is a key factor to getting our communities back to healthy, normal and connected lives.”