PITCH (Partners Immunizing Towards Community Health)

Description

* Enhance the effectiveness and impact of the Regional Public Health Disease Control/Immunization Outreach Divisions along with its partners in providing education and services for immunizations among healthcare professionals, teachers, students, stakeholders and families.
* Enhance the effectiveness and impact of its partners in providing education to providers and legislative advocacy for stricter immunization policy.
* Act as an advisory committee and resource for all PITCH members and stakeholders.
* Identify immunizations related problems in Pinellas County; coordinate the efforts of other organizations in meeting the problems related to immunization use; support other organizations by providing technical assistance and resources in order to achieve maximum effectiveness for their efforts; to publicize the immunization problems and the efforts that are being made to meet the problems.

PITCH operates under these guiding principles:

* Develop long and short-term goals to increase immunization use.
* Encourage collaboration among all interested in increasing immunization use.
* Inform the public about immunization-related issues.
* Act as an advocate for reform in the area of immunizations at both the local and state level.

Mission

To safeguard the health of all Pinellas County residents, by increasing immunization completion rates through community awareness, education, policy change, and collaborative partnerships.

Goals

1. Assist immunization providers on FL SHOTS and how to avoid missed opportunities
2. Educate daycare providers on the importance of immunizations and vaccine compliance
3. Collaborate with prenatal providers on increasing immunization education to clients
Advocacy
4. Advocate towards stricter religious exemption policy
5. Advocate for optional vaccines becoming school requirements
6. Educate youth, parents, teachers, and leaders on the importance of immunizations
7. Develop a media campaign