(19 to Zero)

By Sheldon Spackman

Informing The Public

Alberta non-profit taking on vaccine hesitancy

May 14, 2021 | 11:37 AM

An Alberta based non-profit coalition is working to address COVID vaccine hesitancy and increase uptake.

‘19 to Zero’ was part of a virtual town hall Tuesday for residents in Stettler County, Stettler, Castor, Paintearth County, Coronation, and Consort. It was hosted by Clearview Public Schools with about 90 people taking part.

“We had a lot of really great questions, and the audience was quite engaged. Connecting with community and building trust is so important to us,” says Dr. Finola Hackett with 19 to Zero.

19 to Zero was founded last August by Dr Jia Hu, family physician and public health physician, along with other academics at the University of Calgary, in partnership with others across multiple sectors.

“The coalition is made up of health professionals, scientists, businesses, behavioural economists, communications experts, leaders and many others,” explains Hackett.

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“I would describe it as a dynamic, flexible, compassionate group of individuals – mostly working on a volunteer basis -to tackle the wave of misinformation around COVID-19 and vaccines. Our team aims to share positive, empowering messaging that provides clear answers to common questions and takes an empathetic approach to vaccine hesitancy.”

Hackett says they’ve organized multiple virtual town halls, including 80 since January, with community groups of various sizes across Alberta and Canada.

“These include religious and cultural groups, non-profit associations and charities, municipalities and primary care networks, school divisions and parent councils, and many others,” she shares. “We have also partnered with ‘This is Our Shot,’ a national campaign made up of diverse groups across the country that empowers Canadians to rally around getting the COVID-19 vaccine.”

The next national town hall event takes place May 19 at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

Hackett admits having concerns about COVID-19 and vaccines is common and understandable, but notes that many people are available to answer your questions.

“You can not only check out our resources online, but also reach out to your family doctor or other primary health care provider. It’s important to find sources of information that you trust. If you are talking to friends or family who are hesitant about vaccines, find common ground and try to understand why.

“If we can all come together and build trust in each other, we’ll get through this stronger.”

For more information, email community@19tozero.ca.