Podcast — Navigating COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
With Christian Barnett, SVP of Strategy, and Ryan Colaianni, SVP of Crisis Communications
Resources from today's episode
Takeaways
Vaccine distribution challenges
- With limited supply and visibility into future supply, health systems across the nation sit between a rock and a hard place when working to meet public demand.
- Widespread challenges include undefined priority groups, lack of protocol buy-in across the organization, and demands on health systems to "play cop" when adhering to vaccine protocol.
- Health systems are attempting to address these challenges by utilizing EMR databases and requiring PCP visits before vaccination, but these methods can exclude some populations.
Communications strategies to manage vaccine uncertainty
- Be transparent about your current supply, visibility into future supply, the number of administered vaccinations, uncertain waiting times, and your plan to educate the public readily available.
- Address how you plan to ensure equity in distribution. For instance, some health systems are partnering with community centers and faith-based organizations.
- Health systems should adhere to "high-risk groups" defined by the CDC to avoid further fragmentation in vaccine communications.
The vaccine's impact on health equity
- Reports show African American populations are less likely to get vaccinated, and recent survey findings indicate that the problem isn't just access – it's identity.
- Industry leaders (predominantly white, male, middle-to-upper-class) took the vaccine to demonstrate faith in its effectiveness. The lack of diversity in these efforts creates an "us and them" dynamic, alienating populations who don't fall under the white, wealthy male umbrella.
- Health systems can address this gap by demonstrating successful vaccinations across different cultures and demographics.
More Episodes

Podcast — What's next for healthcare? Ask Marketing.
With Amy Comeau, Vice President of Marketing, Emory Healthcare
What's next for healthcare? The answer might just live within your marketing team. Learn how Emory Healthcare's Vice President of Marketing, Amy Comeau, and her team step up to the plate to define what's next for their health system.

Podcast — Reconciling Present and Future Branding Needs
With Judith Ward, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Baystate Health
How do you plan for the future of your health system without seeming tone deaf to the present and past? Learn about Baystate Health's plan.

Podcast — Speaking to Today's Healthcare Consumer
With Ryan Donohue, Corporate Director of Program Development, NRC Health
It's no secret that now – more than ever before – health systems face pressure to meet consumer-first benchmarks set by other industries. What are the implications of this demand amidst a pandemic?

Podcast — The Speed of Marketing is Changing
With David Perry, Senior Advisor at Stanford Medicine
Healthcare is changing faster than ever before (thanks, COVID-19), requiring healthcare marketers to be extraordinarily responsive and agile to move organization-wide initiatives forward. Hear David Perry, Senior Advisor at Stanford Medicine, share his thoughts on the acceleration of health system marketing.