May

Vaccines & US: Cultural Organizations for Community Health

The Smithsonian has launched a new national initiative to foster vaccine education in communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and with low confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

Screenshot showing composite images from Vaccine website

Everyone has a right to accurate and trusted information, especially around health. Vaccination affects you, your family, and your community.

Ellen Stofan, the Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for Science and Research has announced the launch of a new Smithsonian-led nationwide initiative, “Vaccines & US: Cultural Organizations for Community Health.”

“Vaccines & US” curates and shares an online hub of free resources about COVID-19: the safety, efficacy and value of COVID-19 vaccines; practical advice for having conversations about vaccination; America’s communities’ and cultures’ response to the pandemic; and the history of pandemics and vaccination in the U.S.

The initiative invites local museums, libraries, cultural organizations and civic centers to use these free resources to support vaccine education and outreach in their communities, particularly those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and with low confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. From videos and infographics to activities and educational curricula, the scientific content is vetted by an advisory group of medical professionals from collaborating organizations. As part of these online offerings, the Smithsonian is sponsoring artists and designers to create posters, which cultural organizations and individuals alike can download and share with their communities.

Everyone has a right to accurate and trusted information, especially around health. Vaccination affects you, your family, and your community.

Adding to resources drawn from Smithsonian museums and research centers, ten collaborating organizations contributed content to the initiative, including the COVID-19 Prevention Network at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Exploratorium, The Health Museum (Houston), the Museum of Chinese in America, the Museum of Science (Boston), the New York Hall of Science, the Pacific Science Center, the Peale Museum for Baltimore History and Architecture, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Saint Louis Science Center.

In addition to the Smithsonian Affiliations network of more than 200 museums nationwide, several professional organizations also have signed onto the initiative, including the American Alliance of Museums, American Association for State and Local History, Association of African American Museums, Association of Science and Technology Centers, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, Council of American Jewish Museums and National Indian Health Board.

The Smithsonian, with 175 years of using scientific and cultural knowledge to serve the American people, is working to document this national health crisis for future generations. By uniting museums and libraries nationwide, we hope to give people the resources they need to make informed decisions about vaccinations, reaching them through the local institutions they know and trust.