NIH CEAL
The NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL)
The NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) is a statewide collaborative that partners with local community organizations to build community capacity, conduct research, create accessible training materials, develop policy recommendations for improving information and reducing misinformation, and increasing diversity and accessibility of vaccine clinical trials, and vaccination.
The collaborative, led by the UCLA CTSI Community Engagement & Research Program, includes all California CTSAs—UC Los Angeles, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, Scripps Health, Stanford University and USC. In addition, three RCMI-eligible institutions, UC Riverside, UC Merced and San Diego State University, plus over 70 community partners throughout the state participate in the collaborative.
More About CEAL
NIH launched CEAL to improve the nationwide response to public health issues and challenges. By 2023, the network expanded to add programs addressing additional health concerns, such as maternal morbidity and primary care interventions. CEAL also provides technical assistance and continuous learning opportunities that support community engagement and community-engaged research.
CEAL’s mission is to promote health, improve health outcomes, and strengthen community partnerships through community-engaged research to address differences in access to health care.
To serve this mission, CEAL partners with communities to:
- Build trust in science and research.
- Ensure inclusion across the research continuum.
- Advance community-driven solutions.
- Strengthen community-engaged research.
The Alliance includes a wide-ranging network of research and community partners, including trusted entities engaging in and working with communities across the country. Community-based organizations, researchers, community health workers, health care providers, faith-based organizations, local and state governments, professional associations, policymakers, and more contribute to CEAL’s work and success. These partnerships are integral to our efforts, and CEAL benefits greatly from their trusted voices and valued contributions.
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptability in Multiethnic Communities
Implications for Public Health Policy, Messaging, and Community Outreach
STOP COVID-19 CA conducted an exploratory study on vaccine hesitancy in Los Angeles communities to provide insights for public health vaccine policy, messaging, and outreach. Recommendations include investing in community-based engagement, validation of and listening to concerns leading to hesitancy, access to timely and accessible information from credible sources, increased data transparency for sub-populations, and reducing structural barriers in vaccine access.