Helping Communities Stay COVID-19 Free Through Vaccination Advocacy
History
The Institute for COVID-19 Vaccination Advocacy (ICVA) is a non-profit organization founded in New Jersey by Dr. Anthony Salandy. ICVA conducts outreach to the community in support of the national and global COVID-19 vaccination program. ICVA provides health education to improve understanding of the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of all approved COVID-19 vaccines. ICVA will advocate for equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Our vision is to have a world free from COVID-19 disease. Our goal is to have at least 90% of the population voluntarily participate in a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination program.
Mission
Advocate for equitable and convenient access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to all.
Achieve community protection, assuming vaccine effectiveness, availability, and uptake.
Build sustainable trust in COVID-19 vaccines.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have significant and clear data showing it is effective and safe for populations tested in its clinical trials. The data and findings for any approved vaccine should be transparent for the public to view.
People will feel empowered to ask for and use the information about COVID-19 vaccines, and supported to be shared decision makers between themselves and their providers about receiving the vaccine.
Health-care systems will provide free and convenient access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to all communities regardless of race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Public participation in the COVID-19 vaccine development, approval, distribution, and tracking processes is paramount to public trust and should be promoted at all levels of society.
Community Health Education
ICVA believes in working towards a global community free from the COVID-19 disease. There are many ways to get there. We strive to inform the public about the benefits of social distancing, wearing protective masks, refraining from risky behavior, and learning more about the COVID-19 vaccination program. ICVA will be hosting online seminars and podcast to release new information about the COVID-19 vaccine. We will also post updated information on our website.
COVID-19 Vaccination Program Advocacy
ICVA strongly believes the COVID-19 vaccination program should be administered using principles of social justice. ICVA will advocate: to ensure fair distribution of available COVID-19 vaccination program resources across society; to ensure that all people have access regardless of age, gender, ethnicity etc.; to ensure that all people are able to participate in COVID-19 vaccination decisions which affect their lives; to ensure individual liberties towards access of information about COVID-19 vaccination program and policies affecting them; and to ensure that people can appeal decisions that they feel are unfair. ICVA conducts these activities because it is our firm belief that upholding human rights in the fight against COVID-19 is a moral imperative.
Research and Practice
ICVA believes that science and data should guide our work. Therefore, ongoing program monitoring and evaluation will be a key focus of the organization. Activities, outputs and outcomes will be tracked and reported and used for continuous program model improvements. We have a strong program logic model supported by evidence. In addition, ICVA believes that communities are more likely to make informed decision when they understand information. ICVA will summarize the science behind COVID-19 vaccine development so that communities will stay informed on its progress. In addition, we will codify our approaches to COVID-19 vaccination advocacy so that ICVA’s efforts can be scaled at the national level.