Hospitals Strengthen Community Partnerships to Address Measles Outbreak

November 13, 2026

HAP’s Measles Preparedness and Response series brings together hospital professionals to share real-world experiences, discuss emerging challenges, and exchange practical approaches to protecting patients, staff, and communities.

Pennsylvania hospitals are taking steps to help communities respond to the growing threat of measles through vaccination outreach and partnerships with local organizations. During the third session of HAP’s Measles Preparedness and Response Sharing Series on November 11, Penn State Health and Geisinger Health shared strategies for responding to the outbreak, with a particular focus on engaging Plain communities.

Amber Coleman, director of community health, and Trisha Cobian, senior director of nursing at Penn State Health, discussed the health system’s coordinated approach to education, outreach, and vaccination. Their presentation highlighted the importance of working alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Health, supporting trusted community organizations, and making vaccination services accessible through familiar locations and flexible clinic hours.

Dr. Frank Maffei, chair of pediatrics and chief of pediatric critical care medicine at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger Health, explored the history, values and health care perspectives of Amish and Mennonite communities. He emphasized that effective outreach requires understanding cultural differences, building relationships, and addressing vaccine hesitancy through respectful, two-way communication rather than assumptions or pressure.

“You learn and you better understand the culture by listening,” said Maffei.

Here are Five Key Takeaways

• Coordinate outreach:  Key strategies included identifying priority populations and locations while adding capacity through community health nursing, pop-up clinics, and existing ambulatory services. Partnerships with organizations such as Union Community Care, Clinic for Special Children and other regional health systems helped expand access and avoid duplicating existing services.
• Address barriers to vaccination:  Flexible clinic hours, convenient locations, and financial support can make a meaningful difference. Penn State Health scheduled six outpatient vaccination clinics in priority areas, with evening hours. The health system also provided financial support to community partners to help address patient fees, transportation, staffing, and clinical supply costs.
• Build trust:  The presentations emphasized that Plain communities are not uniformly opposed to medicine or vaccination, and religious beliefs generally do not prohibit medical care. Decisions are influenced by individual experiences, trusted relationships, community values, and concerns about safety, transparency, and autonomy.

Providers should listen, avoid assumptions and recognize differences within Plain communities. “Trust grows with reliable follow up and follow through” said Coleman.

• Recognize that vaccine hesitancy exists on a spectrum. Questions and concerns do not necessarily indicate outright opposition to vaccination. Effective engagement requires patience, individual conversations, clear information, and trusted messengers. Previous health care experiences, perceptions of disease risk and concerns about government involvement can influence decisions. Education is most effective when supported by established relationships and meaningful dialogue.
• Sustain partnerships:  Both presentations emphasized the importance of maintaining relationships, communication channels, and organizational readiness after the current response ends. Continued cross-system planning, collaboration with community leaders, tracking unmet needs, and strengthening trusted community-based services can help preserve progress and improve preparedness for future public health challenges.

HAP thanks the hospital community for taking part in these important sharing sessions.