Vaccine Education Becomes Priority for Healthcare Providers with WUSA9
Part of being in good company at TEGNA means providing good information and developing good partnerships. WUSA9 did just that with its virtual town hall on vaccine confidence in diverse communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything overnight. It changed how we interact with our friends and family, work and do business, go to school … everything. It was a devastating blow, to say the least. But the human spirit is strong, especially at WUSA9 in Washington D.C.
Coming off of a successful run of virtual town hall events on breast cancer, HIV and AIDS, WUSA9 is now turning its efforts to vaccine education with its Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence in Diverse Communities online event, held on February 17 and hosted by news anchor Lesli Foster.
“Local news has never been more important than during the pandemic in keeping our communities informed and safe. We take our mission very seriously and whenever there is an opportunity to help connect our community and partners with good information, we find a creative way to do that,” said Michael Valentine, Vice-President & Station Manager at WUSA9.
“At WUSA9, we want to inform, inspire and make an impact on our community,” said Darlene Dyer, Integrated Marketing Manager at WUSA9. With the current statistics on vaccine adoption, WUSA9 and our partners have a significant opportunity to achieve all three of those goals.”
According to McKinsey & Company, only 37 percent of Americans are considered to be “interested adopters” and want to be first in line when a vaccine is available to them. Forty-five percent are considered “cautious adopters” and will need three to 12 months to feel confident enough to get vaccinated, and 18 percent are considered to be “unlikely adopters” for various reasons such as fear of harmful effects or the idea that they don’t need it.
“We are providing our community the information, tools, and resources they need to make an informed decision about the vaccine,” adds Jasmine Day, Media Strategist at WUSA9. “We want to help people find trust in the recommended vaccines, the providers who administer those vaccines, and the processes and policies that lead to vaccination development.”
With an estimated 63% of Americans on the fence about getting the vaccine, Day says, “that just means that we have a lot of work to do, and so do our healthcare providers.”
In partnership with healthcare sponsors, WUSA9’s work includes promoting virtual town halls across broadcast, digital, and social media, including segments on Great Day Washington and display ads on WUSA9.com.
“Since everyone is still quarantined, we wanted to figure out how to bring the community together virtually,” said Pat Sullivan, Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships at WUSA 9. And coming together was exactly what the community wanted to do. In the first hour of registration for the first town hall, WUSA9 received nearly 2,000 event registrations. As Sullivan explains, “even though the town halls are still in their infancy, they provide our clients with innovative solutions to connect with the community regarding issues their customers care about.
To top it off, Sullivan notes that WUSA9’s town hall sponsors are pleased to participate in these events. “They want to forge partnerships with companies who can reach consumers who want to be informed, educated, and aware. They want to ensure their consumers and brands are in good company.”
Are you in good company?
Thinking of how you might amplify your brand’s community efforts or looking to join our affiliates in their efforts to serve the greater good of our communities? Get in touch.
