Summit Medical Group Foundation Releases Vaccine Hesitancy Study

THE COVID-19 VACCINE: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE; WHO DO YOU TRUST?

Summit Medical Group Foundation Survey Reveals Disparities of Belief

May 19, 2021 – According to a recent study undertaken by the Summit Medical Group Foundation (SMGF) in partnership with Mathematica, lower vaccination rates among members of minority communities has little to do with confidence in the vaccine’s effectiveness—it has more to do with concerns around safety, a mistrust of motivations behind the endorsement of authorities, and barriers to access. With the need for local evidence and the desire to truly understand and respond to community needs, SMGF funded a Vaccine Hesitancy Study to better understand COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among the Black and Latinx communities they serve that are experiencing poverty and are disproportionately impacted by the virus.

“All through the pandemic, our staff and volunteers from Summit Health (formerly Summit Medical Group) have been at our partner food pantries throughout Northern New Jersey, providing free medical screenings and COVID testing,” says Hari Nadiminti, MD, a Summit Health dermatologist and SMGF Board member who was instrumental in making the Vaccine Hesitancy Study happen. “We also sent Summit Health volunteers out into the community to administer vaccines. As a trusted symbol of health care in the underserved communities where we work, we are in a unique position to be both messenger and advocate for vaccination.”

SMGF partnered with Mathematica, an insight partner that illuminates the path to progress for public and private sector changemakers, in creating and fielding the survey. The study, which ran from January to April, included 600 individuals using or living near nine SMGF partner food pantries, and 465 patients at Summit Health’s Berkeley Heights facility.The study was designed to gain insight from New Jersey community members about their receipt of/intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and the reasons underlying their decision.

Overall, the mostly non-Hispanic white Summit Health patient respondents were significantly more likely to have received full or partial vaccination than the predominantly Black and Latinx, underserved food pantry community clients, 36% versus 22%. Food pantry community clients who had not yet been vaccinated had more issues with accessibility (not knowing where or how to get the vaccine) than the Summit Health patients­—26% compared with 7%—and were also more worried about paying for it. Unvaccinated food pantry clients had far more concerns than Summit Health patients about how quickly the vaccine was developed, that vaccine clinical trials did not include people “like them,” unknown long-term side effects of the vaccine, and interactions that the vaccine might potentially have with other health conditions.

Additional findings included:

• The majority of respondents in both groups had confidence in the effectiveness of and protection offered through vaccination.
• Food pantry community clients had more concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine than sampled Summit Health patients.
• Food pantry community clients had more mistrust of institutions’ motivation (more about profit than public good) behind vaccine promotion than sampled Summit Health patients.
• Food pantry community clients had more concerns about accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine than sampled Summit Health patients.
• Respondents in both groups who were unsure about getting vaccinated had concerns around the potential side effects.
• Healthcare providers were the most highly trusted source of information across all populations, while the news media and federal government ranked lowest.

Julienne Cherry, Executive Director of the Summit Medical Group Foundation, says that the organization has been keeping their “boots on the ground” within the communities they serve all through the COVID-19 pandemic, and are already ramping up to make sure these communities are encouraged to get, and have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. “Based on the study’s findings, we are working on communications programs that will hopefully turn the tide of uncertainty about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines available today. Delivering messages from trusted sources like SMGF to counteract concerns and encourage vaccination is essential but can only speed up vaccine uptake at the pace that barriers to access are eliminated for Black and Latinx communities. Getting back to normalcy depends on not just alleviating concerns, but also on addressing equity in the infrastructure that will allow delivery of and access to vaccines for all communities.”

To review the results of the study in more detail, visit SMGF Vaccine Hesitancy Study - White Paper.

About the Summit Medical Group Foundation

The Summit Medical Group Foundation was built on the idea that everyone deserves a healthy tomorrow. This fundamental belief drives our 3-pillar mission of improving access to healthcare for the underserved in our community, educating and inspiring future healthcare providers and promoting the courage, confidence and emotional wellbeing of individuals and their families facing cancer.

The Foundation is fortunate to work with a cadre of volunteers and community partners to help bring this mission to life. Through collaborations and partnerships, and with the help of generous donors, the Foundation provides free medical screenings and healthcare education for food pantry clients and others in underserved communities, scholarships and mentorship programs for students interested in healthcare careers, and comfort programs for cancer patients and their families (such as music and pet therapy, mind-body programs, massage, etc.). Throughout the year the Foundation also holds backpack drives, toy drives, holiday meals and more for our neighbors in need.

The Summit Medical Group Foundation was established in 2013 by Summit Medical Group, the premier physician-led multispecialty group, which was rebranded as Summit Health. This partnership allows the Foundation to engage the providers and employees of Summit Health to work together to strengthen the community around us, building healthier tomorrows. To learn more about Summit Medical Group Foundation, visit www.smg-foundation.org.

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