Government of Canada funds three new projects to encourage COVID-19 vaccination in Canada

As more and more Canadians get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Government of Canada is taking action to make sure every Canadian who wants a vaccine can get one, while also closing the gap among populations with lower vaccine uptake.

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced three new projects receiving funding through the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF) to support vaccination efforts across Canada. These projects will provide health care providers with the tools, training, and evidence-based information they need to promote and counsel others on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.

Indigenous Primary Health Care Council will receive funding to develop and implement educational outreach sessions and resources for non-Indigenous health care providers so they can better promote vaccine uptake among Indigenous clients and their families in a culturally safe and trauma-informed way.

University Health Network will receive funding to develop COVID-19 vaccine education initiatives specifically for personal support workers that will build their confidence in vaccines and their capacity to effectively counsel and support their colleagues, communities, and clients/patients to make informed COVID-19 vaccine choices.

Women’s College Hospital will receive funding to educate and build the capacity of non-physician health care practitioners and other essential workers in long-term care facilities and home care settings as vaccinators and vaccine promoters. This project will provide them with the tools, training, and evidence-based information they need to get vaccinated and become COVID-19 vaccine advocates at work and at home.

The Government of Canada is working closely with experts, provinces and territories, and other partners to encourage vaccine confidence and better understand the barriers people may face to getting vaccinated. The IPF is one tool to help people in Canada make informed vaccine choices through community mobilization and public outreach. 

Quotes

“Health care workers play an important role in enhancing vaccine confidence among populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. As trusted messengers, it is critical that they are able to inform their patients on the importance of vaccinating against COVID-19 and answer any questions they may have about the vaccines. These projects will empower personal support workers and other health care providers to effectively promote COVID-19 vaccination among their colleagues, their community and their most vulnerable patients.”

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Health

Quick facts

• The Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF) supports projects that improve access to vaccines and encourage vaccine uptake. 
• In 2020, as a response to Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts and building on the early momentum of the IPF, the Government of Canada invested an additional $64 million for projects to support COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Canada. This funding includes:
  • $30.25 million for community-led projects to develop tailored, targeted tools and educational resources to raise awareness of, and confidence in, COVID-19 vaccines.
  • $32.5 million to support provincial and territorial governments in enhancing their electronic vaccination registries to help monitor vaccine uptake.
  • $1.3 million to amend existing funded projects to incorporate measures and activities to address COVID-19.  
• The IPF is one of several programs by the Government of Canada to word with communities to increase vaccine confidence and address barriers to getting vaccinated. This also includes the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge which will provide up to 140 grants for community-driven information campaigns to empower community leaders to spread the work on COVID-19 vaccines and public health measures.  
• The Ask the Experts campaign will run from June 15, 2021, to July 31, 2021. The ads will appear on TV, web sites, social media and in search engine marketing. Through a series of videos, the campaign answers a variety of questions such as the importance of getting the second dose of the vaccine, why people who are young and healthy need to get vaccinated, and how the vaccines work. 
• Through the IPF:
  • Indigenous Primary Health Care Council will receive up to $500,000 for its project Bami’aagan – Supporting Indigenous Peoples on their Vaccine Decision-Making Journeys.
  • University Health Network will receive up to $325,000 for its project Personal Support Worker (PSW)-led vaccine education for PSWs: A coalition to rebuild trust and support informed choice.
  • Women’s College Hospital will receive up to $500,000 for its project Long Term Care, Homecare, Essential Workers National Vaccination Engagement Campaign.