Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has highlighted inequities in mortalities and associated illnesses among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals. Immunization against COVID-19 is critical to ending the pandemic, especially within racial and ethnically minoritized communities. However, vaccine hesitancy and institutional mistrust in these communities, resulting from decades of mistreatment, structural racism, and barriers to vaccination access, have translated into low vaccination uptake. Trustworthy relationships with healthcare professionals and partnerships with faith and community leaders are critical to increasing vaccination rates within these minoritized communities. Loma Linda University researchers collaborated with local faith and community organizations in San Bernardino County, CA, to rapidly implement a three-tiered approach to increase the vaccination rates within non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino communities. This community–academic partnership model provided over 1700 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine within these vaccine-hesitant, targeted minoritized communities. As over 100,000 individuals are diagnosed with COVID-19 daily and updated vaccines targeting variants of the Omicron strain are expected to rollout in the coming months, the development of sustainable programs aimed at increasing vaccine uptake within vulnerable communities are of the utmost importance.

BACKGROUND Low‐income and racial/ethnic minority students often face distinct challenges in attending school eading to lower academic performance, low graduation rates, and overall, an indicator of diminished long‐term social and financial stability. Chronic absenteeism is a national problem and to address this, a better understanding of risks and points of intervention for the students most at risk is needed. This cross‐sectional study sought to assess risks and protective factors associated with chronic absenteeism in a predominantly low‐income minority school district in Southern. METHODS Conducted in southern California, students (N = 24,439) ages 9 to 21 years were recruited. A logistic regression was used to assess the role poor physical and mental health, safety, bullying, and family risk factors attributed to chronic absenteeism. RESULTS Results revealed that asthma (odds ratio [OR] = 1.35, p < .001), being overweight/obese (OR = 1.38, p < .01), presence of family risk factors (OR = 1.49, p < .001), bullying (OR = 0.84, p < .05) and perceptions of safety at school (OR = 1.24, p < .05) increased the odds of chronic absenteeism, while protective factors such as support (OR = 1.30, p < .001), increased sleep (OR = 0.96, p < .001) and positive growth mindset (OR = 0.96, p < .001), mitigated it. CONCLUSION This study not only identifies risk but protective factors worth adhering to, to promote school attendance. Future research should further examine the role of mental health in chronic absenteeism.

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