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State launches grassroots COVID-19 vaccine campaign

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Posted at 5:18 PM, Mar 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-18 18:18:17-04

The Louisiana Department of Health and 20 initial partners on Thursday announced the launch of Bring Back Louisiana #SleevesUp, a grassroots campaign to bring COVID-19 vaccines to communities through events and targeted outreach.

The campaign will begin with nine pilots - one in each public health region of the state - with community vaccination events taking place the second and third weekends of April.

"This is a massive undertaking, and we as the state cannot do it alone," said Gov. John Bel Edwards. "We need strong, diverse, trusted community partners to help us meet people where they are, identify their needs, and remove whatever barriers may exist so that our residents can make informed decisions when it comes to the COVID vaccines."

"For a job as big and necessary as equitable vaccine distribution in a once-in-a-century pandemic, we have to be creative, collaborative, and even a little unconventional," said Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, Secretary of LDH. "We have been building this for several weeks now, and we are excited to get going."

Some of the partners in the effort include AARP Louisiana, Louisiana Public Health Institute, LSU Ag Center, Together Louisiana, Nola Ready, and many more.

Partner organizations will play different roles, ranging from phone banking and door-knocking to data evaluation. LPHI will coordinate efforts of community partners and will provide rapid evaluation of the grassroots model for COVID-19 vaccine allocation and outreach.

The campaign's goal is to meet people where they are, increase awareness and confidence, help eligible residents get signed up for vaccines, amplify support in communities, and more.

Learn more about the campaign here.

The governor announced in a press conference Thursday that vaccine eligibility will soon expand to include all essential workers. Read more on that here.

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