Document Type
Report
Publication Date
Fall 8-15-2025
Abstract
Spanish-speaking communities in New Mexico continue to face persistent barriers to vaccine access, confidence, and culturally relevant health information. The Earth Care Trusted Messengers Vaccine Access Project was implemented in Santa Fe to address these inequities using a peer-to-peer, community-rooted model. Trusted Messengers, respected community members, participated in a full-day training covering vaccine science, misinformation, communication strategies, and resource navigation, and subsequently facilitated small “house meetings” to engage peers in open conversations about vaccines. A mixed-methods evaluation assessed changes in confidence, knowledge, and community connectedness using pre-/post-/follow-up surveys, weekly implementation logs, and a final focus group. Quantitative findings showed large increases in participants’ confidence across all domains, including vaccine communication, addressing misinformation, and connecting community members to resources, with most gains sustained eight weeks post-training. Across 23 house meetings, Trusted Messengers reached nearly 300 residents, most commonly addressing COVID-19, flu, and childhood vaccines, and helping clarify misinformation and access questions. Qualitative findings highlighted strong community trust, culturally grounded outreach strategies, and the value of small-group dialogue, while also identifying areas for improvement such as pacing of training and increased materials support. Overall, the trusted messenger model proved culturally resonant, feasible, and effective in strengthening vaccine knowledge, reducing hesitancy, and enhancing community connectedness, offering a scalable approach for advancing vaccine equity in linguistically diverse communities.
Recommended Citation
Velarde, Camille and Theresa H. Cruz. "Earth Care Trusted Messengers: Vaccine Access Project." (2025). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/prc-reports-documents/77
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, COVID-19 Commons, Influenza Virus Vaccines Commons