Immunization Coalitions Network News

Network News – October 6, 2020


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Save the date! IAC’s IZCoalitions Network webinar on November 12 will feature the Public Good Project’s Erika Bonnevie, discussing Project VCTR, and Joe Smyser, discussing the Stronger campaign

Save the date! IAC’s IZCoalitions Network will host a webinar on November 12 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) featuring Public Good Project’s Erika Bonnevie, Director of Research, discussing Project Vaccine Communication Tracking and Response (VCTR), and Joe Smyser, PhD, MSPH, Chief Executive Officer of Public Good Projects, discussing the Stronger campaign.

Registration will be available soon.

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Share Protecting Health: Saving Lives, PBS documentary about IAC, with colleagues and friends on social media to help widen the understanding of the value of vaccines

The award-winning PBS television documentary series, Visionaries, hosted by Sam Waterston features IAC in the episode, Protecting Health: Saving Lives. This 30-minute film showcases IAC’s founder and executive director Dr. Deborah Wexler’s commitment to supporting the nation’s healthcare professionals with immunization education information and materials. Protecting Health: Saving Lives makes a powerful case for vaccination, addressing and defusing the fears that fuel the antivaccine movement, presenting stories of vaccine-preventable disease, and recognizing the science that has saved millions of lives through vaccination. Also featured in the film are Patsy Stinchfield, CPNP, Children’s MN; Karen Ernst, Voices for Vaccines; and IAC’s Dr. L.J Tan and Dr. Mary Koslap-Petraco.

Protecting Health: Saving Lives is premiering on more than 100 PBS stations nationwide in the months ahead, but you can watch it right now on IAC’s website at www.immunize.org/aboutus/iac-film-history.asp. We’d very much appreciate your circulating the film by sharing this link with your colleagues and friends through member newsletters, e-mail listservs, social media channels, conferences and web-based events, and web pages.

 

Sharing Protecting Health: Saving Lives is easy! Just go to https://www.immunize.org/aboutus/iac-film-history.asp or click on the film’s image in the right column of IAC’s immunize.org main page. Click the “share” button, and choose the social media site where you’d like your friends, family, and colleagues to view the film.

To learn more about the PBS Visionaries series, visit www.visionaries.org.

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Organizing a mass vaccination clinic? Plan to attend IAC’s how-to webinar on October 15, 2020

Mass vaccination clinics allow the rapid and efficient administration of vaccines to a large number of people over a relatively short period of time. This approach can help during delivery of routinely recommended vaccines like influenza. It can also be used once COVID-19 vaccines are released. How can you plan and manage such a daunting undertaking?

Mark your calendar to attend IAC’s informative webinar, “Mass Vaccination Clinics: Challenges and Best Practices” on October 15, 2020, at 1:00–2:30 pm ET. Experienced providers will discuss successes and challenges in conducting mass-vaccination clinics and they will highlight best practices and offer practical information for ensuring a successful clinic. Expert speakers include:

  • Kevin Cleveland, PharmD, ANP, Assistant Dean and Director for Experiential Education, Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, Meridian, ID
  • Karen Sharpnack, Executive Director, Idaho Immunization Coalition, ID
  • Ruth Carrico, PhD, DNP, ARPN, CIC, Professor, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
  • Jeanne Marconi, MD; FAAP; Behavioral and Mental Health, Pediatricians; The Center for Advanced Pediatrics, Norwalk, CT
  • Andrew Kroger, MD, MPH, Medical Officer, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA

Register now to attend this free webinar.

This webinar is supported by a medical education grant from Seqirus, Inc.

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CDC publishes “Meningococcal Vaccination: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, U.S., 2020” in MMWR Recommendations and Reports

CDC published Meningococcal Vaccination: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2020 in the September 25 issue of MMWR Recommendations and Reports.

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IAC launches Mass-Vaccination-Resources.org, its new website offering high quality tools and resources to help jumpstart your mass vaccination efforts

The Immunization Action Coalition’s newest website, www.Mass-Vaccination-Resources.org, assists you in finding a wide range of ideas for developing your own mass vaccination clinics. Mass vaccination efforts will be useful for expediting flu vaccination this fall and may be needed after COVID-19 vaccines are licensed for use in large groups of people.

The website features a searchable list of resources for a variety of venues, including curbside, drive-through, and walk-through clinics; mobile medical vans; pharmacies; and schools. The database contains guidance documents, toolkits, publications, and other helpful resources that can be adapted to your community or individual healthcare setting.

Many of the documents were written in the pre-pandemic era and will need modification to ensure that additional protections, such as social distancing and personal protective equipment, help safeguard against COVID-19 transmission.

If you have a resource to suggest for the website, please send a message to info@mass-vaccination-resources.org. Everything received will be considered for placement on the new website.

This new website is supported by a medical education grant from Seqirus, Inc.

Related Links

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Subscribe to Vaccinate Your Family’s Daily Clips newsletter to stay current on immunization news

Daily Clips, the e-newsletter provided by Vaccinate Your Family (VYF), offers the immunization community daily news articles to keep subscribers up to date on vaccine-related stories from news outlets across the nation. The newsletter is free and sent to your inbox every weekday.

To subscribe, simply send a request to info@vaccinateyourfamily.org asking to subscribe to Daily Clips.

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IAC would like to recognize universities that require flu vaccine to protect staff and students

Colleges and universities across the nation are mandating flu vaccine for attendance. IAC has recently become aware of the following schools that require influenza vaccine this year: Albion CollegeButler UniversityCornell UniversityCreighton UniversityDordt UniversityDuke UniversityElon UniversityIndiana University—nine campuses, Marist CollegeMcDaniel CollegePurdue UniversityRochester Institute of TechnologyRosalind Franklin UniversitySyracuse UniversityUniversity of California system—ten campuses, University of MiamiUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Tennessee system—four campuses, Wabash CollegeWake Forest University, and Wayne State University.

Under a new statewide regulation in Massachusetts, approximately 115 colleges and universities will be implementing requirements for influenza vaccination this year.

If you know of additional colleges or universities that require influenza vaccination, please send the name of the institution, as well as a link to the relevant policy (if available) to admin@immunize.org.

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Families Fighting Flu releases results from their national consumer survey

Families Fighting Flu, in collaboration with Sanofi, conducted a national consumer survey in May to identify how the combination of the flu and COVID-19 has changed what Americans think about the dangers of the flu and their readiness to get vaccinated this fall. They surveyed an audience of 1,446 adults weighted to reflect the U.S. population in terms of age, gender, and ethnicity, based on U.S. Census information. Families Fighting Flu has published a series of three blog posts featuring key results from their national consumer survey:

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IAC’s Repository of Resources for Maintaining Immunization during COVID-19 Pandemic has grown to over 220 resources to help patients catch up on missed vaccines

IAC now offers over 220 items in its Repository of Resources for Maintaining Immunization during the COVID-19 Pandemic to assist in maintaining routine immunization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Located on the website of the National Network of Immunization Coalitions, a project of IAC, this repository includes links to both national and state-level policies and guidance; advocacy materials, including talking points, webinars, press releases, articles, and social media posts; and telehealth resources.

These resources are intended for healthcare settings, state and local health departments, professional societies, immunization coalitions, advocacy groups, and the community to use in their efforts to sustain routine immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources can be sorted and searched by date, title, geographic area, source, type, age category, or setting.

If you have a resource to suggest for the repository, please send a message to info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

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American Cancer Society has developed resources to support successful coalitions

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has developed resources on its Program and Coalition Health gateway page to help coalitions implement evidence-based interventions and policies, systems, and environmental changes. Resources that may be of interest to immunization coalitions include:

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IAC’s gateway page “Vaccination and COVID-19” offers a collection of tools from many organizations to sustain routine vaccination services during the pandemic

IAC’s Vaccination and COVID-19 gateway page assists healthcare professionals who are faced with challenges in providing routine and catch-up vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this gateway, IAC has assembled key links to help both new and experienced vaccinators deliver safe, effective vaccination to people of all ages, applicable in typical and nontraditional vaccination settings.

The site facilitates access to key pandemic resource pages from major clinical and public health organizations involved in immunization. The page will be updated frequently with new links and resources specific to catch-up vaccination, so be sure to check back regularly.

To easily locate this gateway page from anywhere on immunize.org, go to the light blue band of tabs across the top, choose the “Clinic Tools” tab, and then select “Vaccination and COVID-19” from the drop-down menu. To link directly to the site, go to www.immunize.org/vax-and-covid-19. You also can use the Guide to immunize.org at the bottom of every web page.

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Meningitis B Action Project released the results of their healthcare personnel survey on MenB vaccination

To better understand how the MenB vaccine is discussed and used in clinical practice, in late 2019/early 2020 the Meningitis B Action Project conducted an anonymous, web-based survey of healthcare personnel from around the country. Key findings from the 524 respondents include:

  • A school or college not requiring the MenB vaccine was the most frequent reason given by respondents for not discussing the vaccine with their 16- to 23-year-old patients.
  • Lack of a MenB vaccine requirement by a school or college was also the key reason patients or parents declined the vaccine.
  • Nearly 50% of respondents were not aware of the current ACIP recommendation for the MenB vaccine.

Both the MenACWY and MenB vaccines are necessary to be fully vaccinated against the most common forms of bacterial meningitis in young adults.

To raise awareness of the importance of the meningitis vaccines, the Meningitis B Action Project provides an “It Takes Two” graphic that you can post across your social media channels.

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It’s time to vaccinate against flu. IAC’s bright red “FLU VACCINE” buttons and stickers can help. Order today!

IAC “FLU VACCINE” buttons and stickers are flying out of IAC’s office by the thousands! Their bright red color helps broadcast your important message about the need for flu vaccination. And the cost is nominal.

“FLU VACCINE” BUTTONS

The button measures 1.25″ across and carries a bold message! Pin on lab coats, uniforms, other clothing, tote bags, or backpacks to show support for flu vaccine.

Buttons are delivered in bags of 10 buttons per bag.

Click here for pricing and ordering information for “FLU VACCINE” buttons.

“FLU VACCINE” STICKERS

Measuring 1.5″ across, these stickers adhere well to clothing and have an easy-peel-off back.

Stickers are delivered to you cut individually (not on rolls)—available in bundles of 100.

Click here for pricing and ordering information for “FLU VACCINE” stickers.

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Please make sure your coalition is listed and your information is up to date on immunizationcoalitions.org, the website of the National Network for Immunization Coalitions

The National Network for Immunization Coalitions website at www.immunizationcoalitions.org is a place to learn about immunization coalitions and nonprofit organizations, their locations, missions, activities, newsletters, and how to engage with them. The website promotes the activities of immunization coalitions and nonprofits, offers resources of importance to the network, and provides a searchable online database of local, state, regional, and national immunization coalitions. Interested supporters of immunization can find contacts, resources, ideas, and volunteer opportunities.

There are now 137 immunization coalitions and nonprofits listed on this website; view their pages here. If your coalition is not listed, or your information needs to be updated, please email info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

New coalitions and nonprofits are encouraged to include their information on the National Network for Immunization Coalitions website. Updated information can be added at any time by emailing info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

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Urge your coalition’s members to subscribe to this e-newsletter, IAC’s IZ Coalitions Network News!

IZ Coalitions Network News is a monthly e-newsletter for the National Network of Immunization Coalitions and features news of interest to immunization coalitions and nonprofit organizations, including advocacy opportunities, legislative efforts, immunization resources, educational offerings, and local, state, and national conference information.

IZ Coalitions Network News is available to coalition members and nonprofit staff, and all people who work with immunization coalitions.

Urge your coalition members and your co-workers to subscribe. All they have to do is send a request to info@immunizationcoalitions.org asking to be included.

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions is a project of the Immunization Action Coalition.

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Be sure you’re subscribed to IAC’s weekly e-newsletter, IAC Express, to stay current on ACIP recommendations, FDA licensures, immunization resources from many organizations, and more

IAC Express, the free weekly e-newsletter produced by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), is emailed to more than 50,000 opt-in subscribers every Wednesday morning, providing articles that succinctly summarize the week’s important immunization developments.

IAC Express keeps you informed about new and updated vaccine recommendations from CDC and new vaccine licensures by the FDA. You’ll read about newly posted Vaccine Information Statements and their translations, and new immunization education materials from IAC, CDC, AAP, and others.

IAC Express also provides updates on online and in-person educational opportunities, many offering free continuing education credit.

To view the most recent issue of IAC Express, visit www.immunize.org/express.

To subscribe, simply provide your name and email address at www.immunize.org/subscribe. We will never share your contact information.

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Deborah L. Wexler, MD
Executive Director
deborah@immunize.org

Litjen (L.J) Tan, MS, PhD
Chief Strategy Officer
lj.tan@immunize.org

Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
Associate Director for Research
sharon@immunize.org

Lisa Jacques-Carroll, MA
Coalitions Network Project Manager
lisa.jacques@immunize.org

Taryn Chapman, MS
Contributing Editor
Taryn.Chapman@immunize.org

Julie R. Murphy, MA
Senior Administrator for Grants and Leadership
julie@immunize.org

 

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for health professionals and the public that enhance the delivery of safe and effective immunization services. The Coalition also facilitates communication about the safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines within the broad immunization community of patients, parents, health care organizations, and government health agencies. Click here for more information on IAC.