The initiative will provide accessible and trustworthy information about the COVID-19 vaccines
The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, has announced the launch of a new initiative aiming to provide American citizens with accessible and trustworthy information about COVID-19 vaccines.
Called Vaccines & Us: Cultural Organisations for Community Health, the initiative sees Smithsonian partner with libraries, museums and cultural organisations across the US to provide free resources to their local communities, encouraging people to make informed choices about vaccinations.
Vaccines & Us will include an online hub with free resources covering the safety, efficacy and value of the COVID-19 vaccines, the history of pandemics and vaccinations in the US and American communities’ and cultures’ response to the pandemic. It will also offer practical advice for having conversations about the vaccine.
Its content was curated in partnership with several organisations including the COVID-19 Prevention Network at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the New York Hall of Science. The programme has been vetted by an advisory group of medical professionals from collaborating organisations.
Resources have also been drawn from the Smithsonian’s 14 museums and centres.
Age of disinformation
“Fear is a powerful emotion, but knowledge is a powerful cure. In an age of disinformation, we’re working with other trusted cultural organisations to provide that cure,” said Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian.
“We’ve asked one simple question, how can we best serve local communities in this time of crisis? The answer is to help all Americans learn how, why and where it’s so vital for all of us to get the vaccine.
“The Smithsonian, with 175 years of using scientific and cultural knowledge to serve the American people, is working to document this national health crisis for future generations and to help Americans understand, contextualise and grapple with this moment.
“By uniting museums and libraries nationwide, we hope to give people the resources they need to make informed decisions about vaccinations, reaching them through the local institutions they know and trust.”
The initiative will provide accessible and trustworthy information about the COVID-19 vaccines
The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, has announced the launch of a new initiative aiming to provide American citizens with accessible and trustworthy information about COVID-19 vaccines.
Called Vaccines & Us: Cultural Organisations for Community Health, the initiative sees Smithsonian partner with libraries, museums and cultural organisations across the US to provide free resources to their local communities, encouraging people to make informed choices about vaccinations.
Vaccines & Us will include an online hub with free resources covering the safety, efficacy and value of the COVID-19 vaccines, the history of pandemics and vaccinations in the US and American communities’ and cultures’ response to the pandemic. It will also offer practical advice for having conversations about the vaccine.
Its content was curated in partnership with several organisations including the COVID-19 Prevention Network at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the New York Hall of Science. The programme has been vetted by an advisory group of medical professionals from collaborating organisations.
Resources have also been drawn from the Smithsonian’s 14 museums and centres.
Age of disinformation
“Fear is a powerful emotion, but knowledge is a powerful cure. In an age of disinformation, we’re working with other trusted cultural organisations to provide that cure,” said Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian.
“We’ve asked one simple question, how can we best serve local communities in this time of crisis? The answer is to help all Americans learn how, why and where it’s so vital for all of us to get the vaccine.
“The Smithsonian, with 175 years of using scientific and cultural knowledge to serve the American people, is working to document this national health crisis for future generations and to help Americans understand, contextualise and grapple with this moment.
“By uniting museums and libraries nationwide, we hope to give people the resources they need to make informed decisions about vaccinations, reaching them through the local institutions they know and trust.”
