The City of Denver Partners with
United Language Group to Improve
Vaccine Equity

The Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic shed a spotlight on the systemic inequalities and lack of access to health care for patients and members with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The City and County of Denver needed real-time support in engaging the Hispanic community, which makes up 1/3 of Denver’s population.
The Hispanic community was falling behind in their vaccination rates and the city was having difficulty closing the vaccination gap between English and Spanish speaking groups. The city was working on a solution to inform their Hispanic populations on CDC guidelines and public orders.

The combination of complex terminology, distrust of medical professionals, and the efficacy of vaccines can persuade members and patients to pass on getting a vaccine. The City and County of Denver knew that in order to combat these barriers, they needed an experienced language service provider with culturally adapted interpretation to maximize the effectiveness of a vaccine outreach program.

The Solution

United Language Group combined our Vaccine Equity and Care Liaison Programs to create the City and County of Denver’s Spanish Vaccine Liaison Program. The implementation of this program allowed Spanish speaking callers to reach out for information regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine and schedule appointments for testing and vaccinations.

Given the numerous benefits of this solution, the City of Denver entrusted ULG to implement this program to help bridge the language gap, ensure effective communication, and increase vaccination rates across the city. ULG’s Care Liaisons are trained on the practices and nuances of in-language communication, ensuring that members and patients are heard, informed, and following through with the process around getting vaccinated.

ULG Deliverables

• Dedicated and specialized care liaisons 
• Culturally adapted and in-language interpretation 
• Aligned with CDC guidelines and public orders