In Baltimore, and across the country, supply now outweighs demand for the COVID-19 vaccine. That has led city health officials to shift their strategy to reach their goal of vaccinating 80% of the population by February. Part of that means moving away from mass vaccination sites and ramping up more accessible mobile clinics.

The health department has launched VALUE Baltimore, a vaccine education and community engagement program.

VALUE stands for Vaccine Acceptance and Access Lives in Unity, Education, and Engagement. It’s a partnership between the health department and institutions like the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Morgan State University and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Faith leaders like Reverend Terris King help the VALUE team build trust with the community. King is the pastor of the Liberty Grace Church of God in Baltimore. He said vaccine education done right is not a one-way street.

“Institutions come into the situation too often thinking they know the answer for the community,” King said. “But the community is the answer.”

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