Immunization Coalitions Network News

Network News – February 17, 2022

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Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

Resources

Coalitions in the News

Announcements

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Hold the date! National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships to be held in-person, September 13–15, 2022 in Minneapolis, MN

Immunize​.org and Voices for Vaccines are co-sponsoring the 2022 National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships, which is being planned as an in-person meeting in Minneapolis/St. Paul at the Radisson Blu Mall of America on September 13–15, 2022. Please hold the date!

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Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

Meningitis B Action Project launches Meningitis B Student Hub, an online curriculum for college peer health educators and students

Meningitis B Action Project launched Meningitis B Student Hub, an online curriculum for college peer health educators. College students are five times more likely to contract meningitis B than non-college students, making it particularly important for students to be informed about prevention. The Hub includes simple key messages to help explain the disease, educational materials for download, sample presentations, and inspirational podcasts from peer health educators. The Hub also includes education campaign ideas and suggestions for engaging student health centers and college administrators to advocate for better meningitis B prevention measures on campus.

View the Meningitis B Student Hub and forward to any partners, colleges, universities, and others that may be interested.

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Voices for Vaccines releases podcast with Patsy Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP, answering parents’ questions on kids and COVID-19 vaccines 

Voices for Vaccines (VFV) has posted a new entry in its Vax Talk podcast series: Kids and COVID Vaccines. A description from the VFV web page appears below.

Parents have a lot of questions about COVID vaccines and their kids, so we invited those parents to a Zoom chat with nationally-known expert and pediatric nurse practitioner, Patsy Stinchfield. They got a chance to ask their questions, and we all got answers.

We begin with a discussion between Nathan and Karen on Dr. Peter Hotez and saving the world through equitable, accessible, and affordable vaccination.

Voices for Vaccines is a national organization of parents and others dedicated to raising the level of the voices of immunization supporters. VFV invites everyone who values vaccines to become a member, use VFV tools in their own community, and get involved with VFV.

Related Links

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EverThrive Illinois launches “Understanding COVID-19” campaign focusing on neighborhoods with low COVID-19 vaccination rates

EverThrive Illinois launched a campaign called Understanding COVID-19 (also in Spanish) that is aimed at educating parents and caregivers, pregnant and recently pregnant individuals, and community and spiritual leaders in neighborhoods with particularly low rates of COVID-19 vaccination. Resources for the target audience, including fact sheets, are currently being created to supplement the campaign:

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Immunize Kansas Coalition offers new interactive online education for vaccination during pregnancy

The Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) now offers two interactive online modules designed for increasing vaccination during pregnancy.

  • Increasing Vaccine Uptake in Pregnant Women is designed for clinical personnel who care for pregnant individuals. It focuses on how to confidently recommend vaccines during pregnancy, using evidence-based communication techniques, and evaluating workflow changes to increase vaccination rates.
  • The Vaccines for My Baby During Pregnancy module is a great resource to share with people who are pregnant now, are trying to get pregnant, or who may want to be pregnant someday. The module focuses on the importance of getting influenza, Tdap, and COVID-19 vaccines, and on answers to common questions about vaccination during pregnancy.

IKC also offers modules for clinicians on HPV vaccines, influenza vaccines (CME available for these two), and modules for adolescents on adolescent vaccination, infant vaccination, and vaccine information. All modules can be viewed on a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Immunize​.org’s Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH, was part of the multi-disciplinary team that developed these innovative modules.

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Families Fighting Flu shares new materials including “Know the Different Symptoms” poster, virtual flu game, and five blog posts about Black History Month and Black Legacies in Health and Science

Families Fighting Flu (FFF) has created new materials for advocacy, entertainment, and in honor of Black History Month.

Know the Different Symptoms poster compares the symptoms of the flu, COVID-19, and the common cold. This poster is available for free print delivery and digital download.

FFF and the University of Iowa offer a free, interactive game to help educate youth about flu and vaccinations. The educational game is for people of all ages to have fun learning about the flu and why vaccination is important. Share this free, interactive game with those looking to learn about how flu spreads, symptoms of the flu, the difference between flu and other viruses, how flu vaccines are made, and how vaccines can save lives.

FFF is honoring Black History Month and Black Legacies in Health and Science by recognizing the medical and scientific contributions of Black doctors, biologists, professors, researchers, and patients. FFF reflects on the legacies of five Black pioneers in medicine and science:

The efforts and triumphs of these individuals have touched the lives of millions of patients, families, and communities, and will for years to come.

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Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition and Pennsylvania Chapter of AAP launch HPV immunization awareness campaign “Vaccinate Before You Graduate”

The Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition, Pennsylvania Chapter of AAP, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and CDC collaborated on an immunization awareness campaign called Vaccinate before You Graduate to promote awareness of the HPV vaccine.

The HPV vaccine series awareness campaign promotes starting or finishing the HPV vaccine series before students graduate college. A new HPV Toolkit and Social Media Templates and HPV Factsheet were developed to promote easily accessible, science-based information about HPV-related cancers and the need for HPV vaccination. The social media toolkit includes template posts and sample messaging promoting students to start or complete HPV vaccination before graduating. These materials are aimed at students age 17–26 who may not have started or completed their series in adolescence. Student health centers are encouraged to distribute these materials.

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Unity Consortium publishes peer-reviewed article on vaccine hesitancy among adolescents and their parents in the time of COVID-19 and invites your organization to join “Adolescent Immunization Action Week” beginning April 4

In the January 24 issue, Vaccines published Vaccine Hesitancy in the Time of COVID-19: Attitudes and Intentions of Teens and Parents Regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine featuring authors from Unity Consortium. A summary appears below.

The insights in this article are based on a three-wave survey Unity conducted with adolescents ages 13–18 and parents of adolescents in 2020 and 2021, focusing on their attitudes and intentions related to preventative health and routinely recommended and COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. The first wave, conducted in August 2020, was before the COVID-19 vaccine was available. The second wave, conducted in February 2021, took place once the vaccine was available to adults, but not adolescents. The final wave, conducted in June 2021, took place when the COVID-19 vaccine was available for everyone ages 12 and over. Key findings showed that parental concerns about vaccine safety increased from Wave 1 to 2, with social media having a negative influence on opinions regarding vaccine safety. Most parents were supportive of routinely recommended and COVID-19 vaccination for their teens. 

Building on the article, the Unity Consortium invites your organization to enlist in the new “Adolescent Immunization Action Week” beginning April 4. The ask is to inspire and support healthcare professionals, parents, adolescents, and young adults to set aside time for vaccination appointments during school spring breaks. Messaging, graphics, and materials to support communication are being developed.

Please share your ideas for raising the volume during the week of April 4 by emailing info@unity4teenvax.org.

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Montgomery County Immunization Coalition launches phase two of their “Let’s Get Back to Us” bus campaign encouraging parents of children age 5–11 to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19

Montgomery County Immunization Coalition (MCIC) launched phase two of its Let’s Get Back to Us bus campaign. Phase two focuses on encouraging parents of children age 5–11 to get their children vaccinated so that they can safely do more of the activities they enjoy. Buses are wrapped in bright-colored advertising with positive design elements and the campaign message will be reinforced with interior bus ads. The ads will run from February through May.

To support their bus campaign, MCIC has converted the bus ads into posters and social media images for education and outreach efforts that are available on the Montgomery County Immunization Coalition website.

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The Pennsylvania Chapter of AAP and the Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition award grants to 16 state and local organizations and immunization coalitions to support vaccine access and education

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PA-AAP) and the Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition (PAIC) have awarded 16 state and local organizations and immunization coalitions with grants to address access to and education around vaccines, particularly COVID-19 vaccines. PA-AAP and PAIC designed the grant to address equity, engagement, access, and resource barriers related to communities’ vaccine uptake.

Grant funds will be utilized for an array of efforts, including facilitating direct community outreach through educational campaigns and activities, building local capacity by hiring term-limited staff to conduct communications or program-related work, generating one-on-one or small group engagement for health education, addressing vaccine questions, and organizing pop-up or targeted immunization clinics.

The grant period for year one of this initiative runs from December 10, 2021–June 30, 2022, at which time the PA-AAP and PAIC will evaluate the impact of the funding on vaccine uptake and existing barriers to immunization. Funding will be available for fiscal years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 as well. For more information on the grant and future grant opportunities, contact Kayla Knock, MPH, Immunization Program Manager, at kknock@paaap.org.

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Today! Families Fighting Flu hosts webinar “The Important Fight Against Flu: Prevention, Rapid Testing, and Timely Antiviral Use” on February 17; CE available

Families Fighting Flu will offer a webinar titled The Important Fight Against Flu: Prevention, Rapid Testing and Timely Antiviral Use from 1:00–2:00 p.m. (ET), today, February 17. This educational program provides important insights on rapid diagnostics and best practices within health systems to improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis, enhance antimicrobial stewardship, and improve patient care. Measures and resources to prevent influenza will also be shared to better arm front-line healthcare workers. Objectives include:

  • Give an update on the progression of the respiratory season, health risks, and vaccinations
  • Describe influenza testing guidelines, methods of rapid testing, and utility in various clinical settings
  • Examine the impact of flu on healthcare systems, communities, and families
  • Review protective measures and health system resources to heighten awareness and mitigate infections

Register for the webinar.

CE is available upon completion of the event.

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Unity Consortium hosts “CommUNITY Best Practices Workshop” to discuss catching up adolescents on recommended vaccines on March 7

Participants from Unity Consortium’s CommUNITY initiative will host an event titled “CommUNITY Best Practices Workshop” from 2:30–3:30 p.m. (ET) on March 7. Panelists from Immunize South Dakota, Immunize Nevada, and the Kentucky Department of Public Health will share successes and lessons learned to offer practical ideas to activate community stakeholders on how to reach healthcare providers, parents, and teens to get adolescents and young adults up to date on vaccinations.

CommUNITY is a partnership initiative with Unity Consortium to improve adolescent and young adult vaccination rates and vaccine confidence.

To attend this program, email info@unity4teenvax.com.

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Hep Free Hawaii, the Hawaii Immunization Coalition, and other partners host virtual workshop on hepatitis B vaccines on March 16

Hep Free Hawaii, Hawaii Immunization Coalition, Hawaii Comprehensive Cancer Coalition, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, and Dynavax Technologies will host a virtual workshop titled Hep B Talk Story from 12:00–1:00 (HT) on March 16. The focus of this workshop will be on hepatitis B updates.

Register for the webinar.

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Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

PA-AAP Medical Home Program hosts three-part webinar series on provider communications with adolescents

PA-AAP Medical Home Program will host a three-part webinar series titled “Strategies to Improve Provider Communications with Adolescent Patients: Relationships and Rights.” This webinar series will include teen speakers providing perspectives on their experiences and recommendations for healthcare professionals. Learning objectives include:

  • Describe concerns, preferences, and realities of young people in healthcare settings
  • Value diversity among teens and recognize the challenges and opportunities this poses in healthcare settings
  • Explain ways to provide high-quality, youth-friendly healthcare services
  • Develop confidence and skills to build positive relationships and communicate effectively with teens

The webinar dates are as follows:

Participants may be eligible for CME/CEU.

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February is Black History Month; Immunize.org celebrates the contribution of Black Americans in vaccinology

February is Black History Month, and Immunize​.org would like to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to vaccinology throughout history, including:

  • Onesimus, an enslaved man, introduced the idea of smallpox variolation in the United States in the 1700s
  • Louis Tompkins Wright, the first Black surgeon on staff at Harlem Hospital in New York City, developed a new way to give the smallpox vaccine in the 1920–1930s
  • Loney Clinton Gordon was one of three women to develop the pertussis vaccine in the 1940s
  • Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells from the 1950s contributed to the development of the first polio vaccine, the HPV vaccine, and the COVID-19 vaccine
  • Mae C. Jemison, the first Black astronaut, worked in vaccine research at CDC in the 1980s–1990s

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Kizzmekia S. Corbett, PhD, a viral immunologist, played a key role in developing the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine while at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Today, she is an assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, focused on viral immunology research for pandemic preparedness efforts and the development of universal vaccines.

The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on Black communities, resulting in higher case rates, death rates, and severe illness. Encourage Black Americans to get vaccinated and take advantage of these shareable resources:

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Resources

National Association of School Nurses journal publishes supplement with five articles on school-located vaccination clinics

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) have collaborated on “School-Located Vaccination (SLV) Clinics in the Era of COVID-19,” a supplemental issue of the NASN School Nurse journal. It can be viewed with free digital access for the next year.

View the supplemental issue of the NASN School Nurse.

Related Links

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University of Washington releases toolkit One Vax, Two Lives with multi-language communication materials and FAQs about COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy

The University of Washington released One Vax, Two Lives Partner Communication Toolkit (accessible via Google Drive). It provides communication materials, including social media content, and a comprehensive list of medically vetted answers to FAQs about the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. Currently, they have content in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Bulgarian and the translation list will grow.

Access the One Vax, Two Lives Partner Communication Toolkit in Google Docs.

For additions, revisions, or comments on the toolkit, please email onevaxtwolives@gmail.com.
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Washington State Department of Health releases COVID-19 vaccine information available online in 40 languages!

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) offers new COVID-19 vaccine information available online in 40 languages. The new web pages include information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine, safety and effectiveness, vaccine requirements, school and child care, life after the vaccine, and vaccine booster and additional doses. The pages also include links to other in-language resources. The web pages will be reviewed and updated regularly.

Web pages are available in Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), Chuukese, Dari, English, Farsi, Fijian, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Karen, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Lao, Marshallese, Mixteco Bajo, Nepali, Oromo, Pashto, Portuguese – Brazil, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Tongan, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Languages coming soon include Dari, Fijian, Pashto, and Tongan.

In-language content can be found by selecting the language from the drop-down at CovidVaccineWA.org.

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CHOP’s Vaccine Education Center revises its COVID-19 Vaccines Q&A handout for the public and presents new video series featuring Paul Offit, MD, answering common questions related to vaccines

The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) recently revised its COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Should Know Q&A handout for the public. The revised version includes updated age and booster recommendations.

View the handout in both English and Spanish.

All Q&A sheets can be photocopied for sharing with patients and families for free, or ordered from VEC in packs of 50 at a nominal cost. Links can be added to websites or shared on social media platforms.

The VEC also offers a new series of short videos, Dr. Offit Answers Your Questions @ Vaccines, that can be accessed on YouTube. The video series will address common vaccine questions being asked by interested parents and family members.

In the first video in the series, Dr. Offit answers questions about common side effects of vaccines and what they mean.

Related Links

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Coalitions in the News

These recent articles feature coalition activities and other stories of interest to coalitions

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Announcements

Visit Immunize​.org IZ Coalitions Network calendar of events for immunization coalitions!

The Immunizations Coalitions Network maintains a Calendar of Events on its website, immunizationcoalitions.org. This is an easy way to find out about upcoming national, regional, state, and local conferences, workshops, and virtual educational opportunities.

If you have a vaccination-related event that you would like your colleagues to know about via this Calendar of Events, email info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

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Stay up to date by subscribing to IZ Express (formerly IAC Express), encourage your coalition’s members to subscribe to Immunize​.org’s IZ Coalitions Network News, and please make sure your coalition’s information is up to date on immunizationcoalitions.org, the website of the National Network of Immunization Coalitions

Be sure you’re subscribed to IZ Express!
IZ Express is the free weekly e-newsletter produced by Immunize​.org. IZ 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 Immunize​.org, CDC, AAP, and others. It also provides updates on online and in-person educational opportunities, many offering free continuing education credit. To subscribe, simply provide your name and email address at www.immunize.org/subscribe. We will never share your contact information.

Urge your coalition members to sign up for IZ Coalitions Network News!
IZ Coalitions Network News is a monthly e-newsletter for the National Network of Immunization Coalitions that 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. To subscribe, send a request to info@immunizationcoalitions.org asking to be included. The National Network of Immunization Coalitions is a project of Immunize​.org.

Make sure your coalition is listed and your information is up to date on immunizationcoalitions.org
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 139 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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Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief

Litjen (L.J) Tan, MS, PhD
Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer

Lisa Jacques-Carroll, MA
Coalitions Network Project Manager

Taryn Chapman, MS
Contributing Editor

Marian Deegan, JD
Contributing Editor

Julie R. Murphy, MA
Senior Administrator for Grants and Leadership

Robin VanOss
Technical Reviewer

 

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.