Equipping the South for community immunity
SAPHL empowers public health advocates and trusted community leaders with the evidence and tools needed to drive policy change. To reverse declining vaccination rates, we must address substantive regional barriers through targeted, local interventions.
Direction
Our strategy centers on supporting local immunization coalitions. Through our defined action areas, we focus on targeted policies to eliminate barriers to care.
Our action areas
Bridging the trust gap
The Challenge: Growing religious exemptions indicate a cultural shift, not just an administrative barrier.
The Intervention: Equip local, trusted messengers with culturally relevant communication tools.
The Result: Rebuilt community relationships that reduce vaccine hesitancy at the neighborhood level.
Maximizing access
The Challenge: Rural and underserved communities face systemic provider shortages.
The Intervention: Policies that fund community-supported and community-embedded mobile clinics and support existing rural providers.
The Result: Frictionless access to routine immunizations regardless of geographic location.
Vaccine data people can trust and use
The Challenge: Outdated IT infrastructure leads to lost or incomplete immunization records.
The Intervention: State funding to modernize public health and school district data systems.
The Result: Accurate, actionable data that allows officials to target resources effectively.
Insights
Local data makes abstract regional problems concrete. Use the map below to explore county-level evidence that supports your specific policy and implementation recommendations.
Note on data comparison & methodology:
- South Carolina reporting: Immunization rates for AL, GA, NC, and TN reflect kindergarten immunization coverage, whereas South Carolina public health data reports overall school-wide up-to-date rates (K–12).
- Georgia data reliability: Significant concerns exist regarding the overall validity, timeliness, and consistency of Georgia's official state vaccine reporting data. Substantial gaps between toddler-age coverage and kindergarten records often reflect administrative lag or registry sync failures rather than true drops in immunization.
County strategy statement
Connections
Building community immunity requires collaboration. Join the SAPHL Network to connect with local immunization advocates and experts across the region. Each state meets monthly and provides a space for collaboration and sharing around public health issues across your state.
Upcoming meetings
- First Tuesdays — North Carolina branch meeting
- First Thursdays — Georgia branch meeting
- Second Mondays — Alabama branch meeting
- Fourth Wednesdays — Tennessee branch meeting
- Fourth Thursdays — South Carolina branch meeting
Skills
Information alone isn't enough. Transform evidence into action by developing the advocacy and communication skills necessary to secure resources for your communities.