Partnering for Vaccine Equity (P4VE) Program

Overview

CDC’s Partnering for Vaccine Equity (P4VE) program improves vaccine equity across disproportionately affected populations through funded partnerships.

CDC launched the P4VE program in 2021 with supplemental COVID-19 funding. CDC awarded this funding to partners via cooperative agreements. The funding for the initial P4VE program focused on increasing COVID-19 and flu vaccine uptake for adults in racial and ethnic minority communities.

In 2024, CDC redefined the P4VE program to include all partners funded to address vaccine equity in both children and adults and across multiple priority populations. This shift allows the program to continue despite the loss of COVID-19 funding and many projects coming to an end. It is also more inclusive of the work that CDC’s funded partners are doing to address vaccine equity across all ages and various priority populations.

Work to advance vaccine equity for adults in racial and ethnic minority communities is still a critical part of P4VE. Partners work to increase coverage for COVID-19, flu, and other immunizations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Impact

As of September 2023, P4VE partners have:

• Trained 325,000 trusted messengers to conduct vaccine education and outreach in their communities
• Engaged 3.3 million people from racial and ethnic minority communities through promotional events
• Engaged 550,000 clinicians through training and communication efforts
• Administered 2.3 million COVID-19 and flu vaccinations
• Launched 255 educational campaigns in 45 languages

Why it matters

There are many factors that create challenges to equitably increasing vaccine coverage for children and adults, such as:

• Education, income, and wealth gaps
• Job access and working conditions
• Racism and other forms of discrimination
• Gaps in healthcare access
• Transportation and neighborhood conditions
• Reimbursement (for adult vaccines)/cost

For example, CDC found that influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination coverage in fall 2023 was lowest among uninsured adults1. Coverage was also lower for adults living in rural areas compared to those living in urban and suburban areas. COVID-19 and RSV vaccination coverage was higher among white adults than among most other racial and ethnic groups.

Our approach

Our approach to this work is guided by four overarching strategies:

• Funding partners to equitably improve vaccine access, confidence, and demand
• Providing funded partners with the technical support needed to help achieve immunization goals
• Monitoring and evaluating funded partner activities to inform program improvement
• Raising program awareness and demonstrating program impacts

Partner activities include:

• Hosting community outreach events to spread awareness about vaccines
• Working within communities to train and leverage trusted messengers
• Partner with vaccine providers to identify locations and hold vaccine clinics
• Develop educational materials and launch communications campaigns to promote vaccination
• Evaluate and disseminate best practices

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To stay up to date with vaccine equity and partner news, sign up for our biweekly Partner Digest.  

Contacts

For questions or comments about the P4VE program, e-mail PHEBranch@cdc.gov.

Selected publications

Program implementation

Piasecki AM, Hall DM, Zajac J, Miller SA, Nilson JR. A programmatic update on COVID-19 vaccination in rural communities in the United States. Vaccine. April 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.04.043.

Urban Institute. Advancing vaccine equity through community-based organizations. March 2024.

Fiebelkorn AP, Adelsberg S, Anthony R, et al. The role of funded partnerships in working towards decreasing COVID-19 vaccination disparities, United States, March 2021-December 2022. Vaccine. January 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.12.061.

Stone ND, Fiebelkorn AP, Guo A, et al. Challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 vaccination efforts in long-term care. Vaccine. January 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.12.064.

Ashenafi SG, Martinez GM, Jatlaoui TC, et al. Design and implementation of a federal program to engage community partners to reduce disparities in adult COVID-19 immunization uptake, United States, 2021-2022. Public Health Rep. December 2023. doi: 10.1177/00333549231208642.

Koppaka R, Wharton M, Lindley MC, Kohli J, Morita, J. Increasing equity in adult immunization through community-level action. Health Aff Sch. December 2023. doi: 10.1093/haschl/qxad071.

Association of Immunization Managers. Lessons learned report: national environmental scan. November 2023.

Association of Immunization Managers. Lessons learned report: building vaccine equity for COVID-19 and flu vaccination in REACH communities. November 2023.

Disparities in vaccination

Black CL, Kriss JL, Razzaghi H, et al. Influenza, updated COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccination coverage among adults — United States, fall 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. December 2023.

Haanschoten E, Dubendris H, Reses HE, et al. Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination status among long-term care facility residents — United States, October 31, 2022–May 7, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. October 2023.

Elam-Evans LD, Jones CP, Vashist K, et al. The association of reported experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination in health care with COVID-19 vaccination status and intent — United States, April 22, 2021–November 26, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. April 2023.

Saelee R, Zell E, Murthy BP, et al. Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage between urban and rural counties — United States, December 14, 2020–January 31, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. March 2022.

Resources

• Vaccine Resource Hub

• Championing Change: A Toolkit for Addressing Vaccine Equity Through Community Mobilization