A large, 100-bed nursing home in Florida with a resident COVID-19 vaccination rate of zero percent, was referred to Alliant Health Solutions by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for assistance. Alliant, a CMS-designated Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), leveraged its established, trusted partnerships and science-based resources to help the facility achieve a 15.1 percent increase in its resident COVID-19 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccine from January 2024 to the latest report to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

Understanding the Challenge: The Impact of Misinformation 

The Alliant team recognized that trust and collaboration are crucial in addressing the challenge of combating vaccine misinformation, particularly within Florida nursing homes. These facilities house one of the most vulnerable populations and have been significantly impacted by false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, often exacerbated by misleading statements from high-profile figures, including state leadership. To counter this, Alliant focused on assisting the nursing home with disseminating credible, scientific information. 

Upon connecting with the Infection Preventionist (IP) at the nursing home, Alliant began to understand the root causes of vaccine hesitancy within the facility and identified misinformation from the state’s surgeon general as the primary barrier to increasing resident COVID-19 vaccinations. Misinformation, especially from high profile individuals, fosters vaccine hesitancy, leading to lower vaccination rates, increased outbreaks of preventable diseases and unnecessary hospitalizations. Alliant and the nursing home’s infection prevention lead realized the need for a strategic approach to counter the misinformation and build trust with residents. 

Debunking False Claims and Sharing Accurate Information from Trusted Sources 

Combatting vaccine misinformation in nursing homes requires a multi-faceted approach that includes leveraging trusted partners, like Alliant, and sharing accurate, reliable information. Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with a letter from the Food and Drug Administration provided to the facility by Alliant effectively counteracted misinformation within the facility. In addition to sharing relevant educational resources, the Alliant Quality Advisor (QA) advised the nursing home how to effectively utilize the tools and provided distribution recommendations for the resources. The QA encouraged the nursing home to hand out the resources as a visual reference as they verbally reviewed them with the resident or responsible party. As a result of the QA’s assistance, the nursing home shifted from simply talking about vaccines to a more interactive educational approach with the nursing home’s residents and staff. This encouraged open dialogue while helping the nursing home identify the true barriers with individuals and not the barriers of the nursing home.  

Utilizing educational resources from the CDC provided clear, accurate, and up-to-date information about vaccine safety and efficacy. The CDC’s comprehensive FAQs and myth-busting information was particularly useful in addressing common misconceptions. Encouraging new residents to get vaccinated upon admission and checking in with those who had been previously vaccinated to see if they would be willing to share their stories allowed nursing home staff to communicate openly about the benefits and risks associated with the vaccine and build trust with residents and their families. In addition, during one of the follow up conversations with Alliant, the facility's IP shared that many of the residents within the facility primarily spoke Spanish. After learning this, the QA shared the following tools in both English and Spanish.  

• Vaccinations With Confidence (English) 

• Stay Up-to-date Information (English) 

• Stay Up-to-date Information (Spanish) 

These targeted interventions along with the letter from the Food and Drug Administration led to increased consents and vaccinations among staff and residents. 

Building Trust Through an Ongoing Nonjudgmental Partnership 

The partnership between this Florida nursing home and Alliant was pivotal in increasing staff and resident vaccinations. This supportive and nonjudgmental relationship fostered a sense of trust and cooperation between the QIN-QIO and the nursing home administration. The involvement of Alliant advisors, the facility’s infection prevention leader, and the consistent use of credible resources from the CDC proved effective in building confidence among staff and residents. The result was an empowered and engaged staff, fostering an environment where informed decisions about vaccination became the norm. 

Keys to Success 

Alliant’s success can be replicated by taking the following steps: 

1. Understand the impact of misinformation 

2. Leverage accurate information from reliable sources 

3. Build trust through a nonjudgmental partnership 

This material was prepared by The Bizzell Group (Bizzell), the Data Validation and Administrative (DVA) contractor, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. 12SOW/Bizzell/DVA-1384-06/12/24.