Arizona was hit particularly hard by COVID-19. It led the country in coronavirus-related hospitalizations with roughly 90% of ICU beds occupied during the summer of 2020, and was the first state to trigger “crisis care standards” to help healthcare workers determine the prioritization of treatment.

Serving more than 3 million patients, including 1.6 million individuals in greater Phoenix alone, HonorHealth recognized the lofty yet noble task it faced after learning that vaccines for the virus would become available in December 2020. It would need to efficiently and effectively communicate the vaccine’s availability to its patients to get as many eligible individuals vaccinated as quickly as possible.

In mid-January 2021, vaccination appointment scheduling volume had slowed significantly. Fifteen hundred appointment slots needed to be filled as vaccines were not being fully utilized. Action needed to be taken quickly. 

Having an intimate understanding of its patient demographic, HonorHealth identified two patient groups it knew would be particularly difficult, yet critically important, to engage:

• • Individuals age 75+ 
• • Underserved communities

More than 37% of Phoenix’s population do not speak English as their primary language, and more than 17% of the city’s households do not have a broadband internet connection. Without reliable internet access and information about eligibility and registration provided in their native language, it’s likely that available appointments would continue to go unfilled, and vaccination rates would remain low. A non-traditional and highly tailored method of engagement was needed.