Bring It Up program expands, launching next phase in boosting local vaccination rates
Bring It Up announced three key developments in the next phase of its approach to vaccine promotion in northeast Indiana on Dec. 21.
The initiative, founded by Fort Wayne native Nathan Gotsch, announced new funding of more than $15,000 led by a grant of nearly $10,000 from the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. The grant comes from Operation Vaccination, which is held and administered by the Community Foundation and funded by a variety of individual and organizational donors eager to promote vaccination in Fort Wayne and beyond.
The total funding amount also includes more than $5,000 via crowdfunding through current and former Fort Wayne residents from around the country.
“We’ve been inspired by Nathan’s passion and vision for this initiative, and we’re happy to help support his outreach and engagement efforts — they’re more important than ever,” said Brad Little, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.
Bring It Up has established a partnership to operate as a project of Start Fort Wayne, a local nonprofit focused on entrepreneurship. The partnership will make available additional operational resources to Bring It Up as it begins the next phase.
“It’s a great fit because we see ourselves as entrepreneurs with a public health goal rather than a profit-driven one, testing and iterating just like any startup,” Gotsch said.
In addition, Gotsch announced Bring It Up’s advisory board, composed of leaders from Fort Wayne’s civic, medical and foundational communities who’ve already been working with Gotsch to ensure factual accuracy, engage minority and at-risk communities and set guidance for the initiative’s overall efforts moving forward.
Initial members of the Bring It Up advisory board are:
Mayor Tom Henry
City of Fort WayneDr. Michael Mirro
senior vice president and chief academic research officer for the Parkview Health System, as well as the co-director of the Midwest Alliance for Health EducationDr. Olivia Lusher
executive director of the Northeast Indiana chapter of the American Red CrossPatti Hays
CEO of the AWS FoundationAustin Knox
Wayne Township TrusteeDr. Tony GiaQuinta
pediatrician and past president of the Indiana chapter of the American Academy of PediatricsDr. Kathryn Marwitz
assistant professor and public health pharmacist researcher debunking medical misinformation and advocating for science-based health policeRamadan Abdul-Azeez
president of the Fort Wayne Black Chamber of CommerceZach Klein
entrepreneur and Fort Wayne native who co-founded Vimeo and DIY.org
“It’s wonderful to see someone like Nathan who is still so invested in and concerned with his hometown,” Henry said. “Bring It Up appeals so strongly to me because it’s built on this sense of community, of us engaging with our friends and family members to address their questions and hesitations in a way that’s respectful, understanding and empathetic. I see it as an initiative in continuing to increase vaccination rates in Fort Wayne.
Lusher said Bring It Up’s efforts on vaccine education and outreach are imperative to ensure the community has the resources and access necessary to thrive.
“The American Red Cross is honored to work alongside so many leaders and organizations who make health and safety their mission,” she said.
Gotsch founded Bring It Up with a novel approach to the vaccine promotion — instead of focusing on the unvaccinated, the initiative inspires those already vaccinated to engage vaccine-hesitant friends and family members in conversations and start them on the path to vaccination.
