# “It spreads like wildfire”: mothers’ gatherings for vaccine acceptance

## TL;DR

A community-based initiative helped refugee and immigrant mothers in Georgia increase their confidence and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine through peer-led gatherings.

## Contribution

The study introduces a human-centered, peer support model co-created with community health workers to address vaccine hesitancy in marginalized communities.

## Key findings

- 75% of unvaccinated participants decided to get the vaccine after attending the gatherings.
- The initiative successfully engaged seven distinct linguistic/ethnic groups through culturally tailored approaches.
- Community health workers played a central role in all phases, from design to evaluation.

## Abstract

This case study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an initiative to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake among refugee and immigrant women in Clarkston, Georgia. Applying the principles and practices of human-centered design, Mothers x Mothers was co-created by Refugee Women’s Network and IDEO.org as a series of gatherings for refugee and immigrant mothers to discuss health issues, beginning with the COVID-19 vaccine. The gatherings included both vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers and used a peer support model, with facilitation focused on creating a trusting environment and supporting mothers to make their own health decisions. The facilitators for Mothers x Mothers gatherings were community health workers (CHWs) recruited and trained by Refugee Women’s Network. Notably, these CHWs were active in every phase of the initiative, from design to implementation to evaluation, and the CHWs’ professional development was specifically included among the initiative’s goals. These elements and others contributed to an effective public health intervention for community members who, for a variety of reasons, did not get sufficient or appropriate COVID-19 vaccine information through other channels. Over the course of 8 Mothers x Mothers gatherings with 7 distinct linguistic/ethnic groups, 75% of the unvaccinated participants decided to get the COVID-19 vaccine and secured a vaccine referral.