About this Independent Study 

Healthcare providers will learn how to better understand vaccine hesitancy within the Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking population to address the disproportionately low childhood immunization rates and high number of COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths within Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking communities in Washington state. By preparing healthcare providers to better understand vaccine hesitancy within the Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking population, providers will be better able to foster vaccine confidence, identify language and cultural barriers that may impede vaccine hesitancy, and adopt strategies to initiate conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine.  

Who Should Take This Course 

Healthcare providers and others who work with Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking patients including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and medical assistants. 

This course offers only Pharmacy credit. For other certificates, select the button below to enroll in that course.

Course for CME, CNE, AAMA, Completion Credit

Objectives 

After completing this online course, participants will be able to: 

• Describe low vaccination rates in the Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking communities of Washington;
• List key reasons why community members may be hesitant to receive COVID-19 vaccines;
• Explain a health professional’s role in promoting vaccine confidence;
• Identify language and cultural barriers that may prevent having an open dialog about COVID-19 vaccines with community members; and
• Adopt strategies to initiate conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine with Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking patients.

Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) 

The Washington State Pharmacy Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a Provider of continuing pharmacy education.  

ACPE UAN# | 0130-9999-21-262-H06-P| 1.25 ACPE CPE hrs. | Activity Type: Knowledge

Successful completion of this continuing education activity includes the following:   

• Completing the entire online course
• Completing the online evaluation 
• Completing an online certificate module

Disclosures 

Dr. Gretchen LaSalle, planner for this educational activity, has received a research grant from Merck Pharmaceuticals. All of the relevant financial relationships listed for her have been mitigated. The other planners and presenters of this activity have no relevant financial relationships with any ineligible companies to disclose.    

Registration & Fees 

The eLearning course is free of charge.

Acknowledgements 

This eLearning course was developed by Julie Nanavati, MA, MLS in partnership with WithinReach and the WA State Department of Health and presented by Dr. Gretchen La Salle.  

Dr. Gretchen LaSalle, is a board-certified Family Physician in Spokane, Washington and is a Clinical Associate Professor for the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. In 2020 Dr. LaSalle was accepted as an American Academy of Family Physicians Vaccine Science Fellow. She is passionate about prevention, community health, and education and is a self-described “semi-obsessed” vaccine advocate.  

We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Douglas, J. Opel, MD, MPH Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics University of Washington School of Medicine, Stacy Boyer, Vaccine Quality Assurance Consultant for the Virginia Department of Health/Division of Immunization, and Dr. Tetyana Odarich, a physician at Sunrise Family Medical, Happy Valley, Oregon for their valuable contributions to this course.  

And, special thanks to the Former Soviet Union Vaccine Hesitancy Community Workgroup for their expertise and feedback. 

This eLearning course is supported by the Washington State Department of Health.