Network News — July 11, 2013
Network News - July 11, 2013
Table of Contents
- Please help IAC spread the word about its new campaign to Give birth to the end of Hep B
- Next IZCoalitions Network conference call on August 7
- Toolkit for August 2013 National Immunization Awareness Month
- Many statewide immunization conferences scheduled
- IAC develops new easy-to-read handouts about vaccine-preventable diseases
- "Like" IAC on Facebook!
Please help IAC spread the word about its new campaign to Give birth to the end of Hep B
The following is a letter from Dr. Deborah Wexler, executive director of the Immunization Action Coalition. Dear Immunization Coalition Colleagues: I would like to make sure you know about the Immunization Action Coalition’s new initiative to Give birth to the end of Hep B. The initiative urges hospitals and birthing centers to meet the national standard of care to provide a birth dose of HepB vaccine to all newborns. We will be launching our new birth dose guide, “Hepatitis B: What Hospitals Need to Do to Protect Newborns,” on July 16, which will include a free webinar. We are asking for support in spreading the word about this project to your colleagues. Nearly one in three newborns leaves the hospital unprotected from life-threatening hepatitis B infection. As a result, about 800 U.S. newborns are chronically infected each year through perinatal transmission. A universal birth dose will protect newborns from this pervasive and invisible threat. Endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the birth dose guide is a comprehensive resource to help birthing institutions establish, implement, and optimize their birth dose policies. We also are initiating our Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll which recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that have attained high coverage rates for administering hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The July 16th launch will take place at an award ceremony in Albany, New York, during which Albany Medical Center will be honored as the first enrollee on the Birth Dose Honor Roll for its achievement in attaining a 99% birth dose coverage rate. Following the ceremony, IAC, CDC, the New York State Department of Health, and Albany Medical Center will present a free one-hour webinar for healthcare professionals beginning at 12 noon ET. The webinar is open to everyone and will cover strategies and tools for implementing the hepatitis B birth dose. We hope you will support this important endeavor by announcing the birth dose initiative and guide book launch, and perhaps by distributing this invitation to your coalition’s members, your colleagues, and other immunization partners. At the bottom of this message is a sample announcement you are welcome to cut and paste, or modify as you wish, to send to others. As always, all of us at IAC deeply appreciate your support in helping us communicate vital immunization information! ___________________________________ (Sample Announcement) The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has launched an initiative to Give birth to the end of Hep B with its new guide, "Hepatitis B: What Hospitals Need to Do to Protect Newborns." Endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this comprehensive resource is a one-stop shop for assisting birthing institutions in establishing, implementing, and optimizing their birth dose policies. During an event on July 16th in Albany, New York, IAC will present the guidebook and initiate its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll. The Birth Dose Honor Roll recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that have attained high coverage rates for administering hepatitis B vaccine at birth. IAC’s inaugural Birth Dose Honoree is Albany Medical Center, which, with support from the New York State Department of Health Immunization Bureau, achieved a birth dose coverage rate of 99%. IAC, CDC, the New York State Department of Health, and Albany Medical Center will conduct a free one-hour webinar, beginning at 12 noon ET, presenting strategies and tools for implementing the hepatitis B birth dose. Registration for the webinar is now open at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/751803942 Please register early. Visit IAC’s birth dose web section at http://www.immunize.org/protect-newborns for the latest information and for downloading the birth dose guide after July 15, 2013. Important Note The webinar will use the services of GoToMeeting and will require a safe and quick installation of some software on your computer. If you have not previously used GoToMeeting, it is a good idea to register ahead of time in order to resolve any additional steps needed to get fully set up for the webinar. Also, a security warning may appear when you go to the registration website. If it does, simply click the "continue to this website” option and proceed. If you are using the web browser Firefox, you may need to click several times to "accept" the "exception." Deborah L. Wexler, MD Executive Director Immunization Action Coalition deborah@immunize.org Back to topNext IZCoalitions Network conference call on August 7
Please save the date! The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) invites you to participate in a 1-hour conference call for immunization coalition leaders, members, and anyone interested in the work of immunization coalitions on Wednesday, August 7, at 2:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. CT). All are welcome. Agenda items will include:- Update on influenza vaccination recommendations and products for the 2013-14 season – L.J Tan, MS, PhD, chief strategy officer, IAC
- Presentation by Lisa Posard, director of Invisible Threat, a new documentary on the anti-vaccine movement
- Announcements from partners
Toolkit for August 2013 National Immunization Awareness Month
The National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) is coordinating activities for this year's National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), which will take place throughout the month of August. NIAM highlights the need for improving national immunization coverage levels and encourages people of all ages to protect their own health and the health of their loved ones by getting immunized against infectious diseases. The online August 2013 NIAM Toolkit is a key piece of the communication campaign. It contains information about creating and sending newsletter/listserv announcements, tweets, and e-cards and also offers a Web badge for posting. It outlines ways your organization can promote immunization in your community and offers links to downloadable resources an organization or individual can use to further immunization education. Related Link Back to topMany statewide immunization conferences scheduled
As a service to readers, here is a listing of some of the statewide immunization conferences scheduled during the next few months.- North Carolina State Immunization Conference, July 31-August 2
- Immunize Georgia Conference, September 12
- New Jersey Vaccines for Children Conference, September 25
- Massachusetts Immunization Action Partnership Pediatric Immunization Skills Building Conference, October 3
- CDC's Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases course sponsored by CDC and the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, October 10-11
- Got Your Shots? Minnesota Department of Health Annual Immunization Conference, October 10-11
- Kansas Immunization Conference, October 15-17
- Ohio Statewide Immunization Conference, October 18
- 2013 Nevada Health Conference, October 28-30 (includes CDC's Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases course)
- Louisiana Shots for Tots State Conference, November 7-8