HJAR Nov/Dec 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2021 41 the impact of unvaccinated people on the current number of active COVID-19 cases in Arkansas, as well as on hospi- talizations and deaths. • Multiple social media graphics about the COVID-19 vaccine, responses to common reasons people might be hesitant to get vaccinated, and why it’s important to get vaccinated. • Audio and video public service an- nouncements featuring University of Arkansas Head Football Coach Sam Pittman and Arkansas Razorback “Su- per Fan” Canaan Sandy promoting the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging ev- eryone to get vaccinated. • Links to resources for Medicaid recipients, like how to find the most convenient location near you where COVID-19 vaccines are available and how to get free transportation to get vaccinated. DHS created a separate MVP toolkit for Arkansas Medicaid providers, including hos- pitals, clinics, pharmacies and clinicians. This toolkit is designed to helpMedicaid providers promote and talk about the available vac- cines to their patients. People who are hesi- tant to get vaccinated are more likely to trust vaccine information from providers they know and already have a relationship with. That means that Medicaid providers can have a big impact on protecting Arkansans from Keith Metz Medicaid Communications Specialist Arkansas Department of Human Services this virus. In addition to all of the materials included in the client toolkit, the provider toolkit also features: • Adraft electronic message that provid- ers can email to patients and clients or send to their patient portal accounts. • Fliers providers can post in their offices. • Social media graphics and messages that providers can share on their busi- ness social media channels. • Important factual information provid- ers and their staff can share with clients when calling to encourage them to get vaccinated. DHS also worked closely with primary care physicians to encourage them to reach out to their patients to schedule vaccinations. The impact of the MVPprogram is already being felt across the state. Since the program launched, an additional 25,000Medicaid cli- ents received a COVID-19 vaccination. This is great news, but there is still work to be done. The numbers of COVID-19 cases, hos- pitalizations and deaths in Arkansas are still much too high, and the Delta variant is putting younger and healthier people in the hospital. This is a dangerous virus, and it can cause serious health problems and even death. DHS is pursuing other options to help, including potential programs that would allow nurses and even pharmacists to administer vaccines in homes. Information on those and other future programs will be posted at www.ar.gov/mvp. The vaccine helps prevent people from getting COVID-19. Some people who are vaccinated do still get the virus, but they are much less likely to have serious complications or be hospitalized. Almost all the people hospitalized inArkansas right now with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to get the shot and get protected. And if you’re a provider, now is the time to take proactive steps to reach out to your clients and make sure they have all the informa- tion they need to make an informed decision about getting vaccinated. Let’s all be MVPs in our communities and work to protect ourselves fromCOVID-19. n Keith Metz has spent nearly 24 years working with Arkansas DHS as both a contractor and a state em- ployee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hendrix College and a master’s degree in English from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Af- ter serving as a data analyst and quality assurance evaluator with the Division of Children and Family Services, he joined the DHS Office of Communica- tions and Community Engagement, where he now serves as the Medicaid communications specialist.