The #ImVaccinatedBecause campaign is gaining steam as it helps address vaccine hesitancy in the Western New York community.

The aim of #ImVaccinatedBecause is to motivate vaccination-reluctant Western New Yorkers to get vaccinated through peer-to-peer, grassroots encouragement. By showing first person accounts – through photos and videos – of why people have chosen to get vaccinated, the movement can help increase vaccination rates and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

“Every Western New Yorker has been impacted by the pandemic. Vaccines are one of the best tools we have to stop the spread of COVID-19. Our campaign is helping our staff, partners and community members to have another tool to start loving conversations on the importance of getting the vaccine,” says Joanne Haefner, CEO of Neighborhood Health Center. “The vaccines are safe, effective, free, and readily available in our community including our Neighborhood Health Center locations.”

ALL vaccinated Western New Yorkers are encouraged to take part in #ImVaccinatedBecause. Just download an #ImVaccinatedBecause fillable card from www.ImVaccinatedBecause.org, write your “why” on the card, and then share a photo or video with it on social media using the hashtag #ImVaccinatedBecause. Also, check out some of the Western New Yorkers who've already shared their "why" at www.ImVaccinatedBecause.org.

#ImVaccinatedBecause also lives physically on poster boards in each Neighborhood Health Center site where participants are encouraged to add their “why” cards to the poster boards. 

"COVID-19 vaccines are our ticket out of the pandemic," says Dr. Gale Burstein, Erie County Commissioner of Health, who has shared her own #ImVaccinatedBecause photo on social media. "When more people are vaccinated, the less this virus can spread, mutate, and continue to disrupt lives and harm the public’s health."