The Tiempo de Vacunarte/Time to Get Vaccinated program aims to reduce the burden of HPV-related cancers in West Texas by providing HPV education and vaccines at no cost to eligible uninsured or underinsured individuals in El Paso, Presidio, Brewster, Hudspeth, Culberson, and Tom Green counties in Texas.

Over a 3-year partnership, the CHC provided communication support to the program management team at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, including audience research, message and strategy development, creative brand standards, and multimedia designs aimed at encouraging eligible participants to begin and complete the full HPV vaccination series.

Primary research and review of existing literature and campaigns indicated the need for varied visual and content themes for each priority audience. Both key audiences desired messages culturally relevant to West Texas, a gender-neutral color palette, and a bilingual, Spanish-first approach to content.

Message testing showed effective themes for each key audience:

• Parents (children 9-17): Persuaded by appeals to their roles as protectors, reminders that HPV prevention is cancer prevention, and emphasis on the urgency of vaccinating as early as possible.
• Young Adults (18-26): Responded to messages emphasizing "injection equals protection" and the vaccine's importance, even if they aren't sexually active or don't feel at risk — a belief more common among males.

These insights shaped the brand guide and communication strategy — including tactics like creating community recruitment and education materials, developing website and social media content, and partnerships with local organizations and community influencers. This led to increased program awareness, program eligibility knowledge, and HPV vaccination series initiations/completions through community events, clinic appointments, and pharmacy vouchers.