August 11 2022

Network News – August 11, 2022

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Due to unprecedented numbers, registration for the September 13–15 National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships 2022 is now closed

Registration for the National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships 2022 is now closed due to unprecedented interest. We look forward to a wonderful gathering in Minneapolis, MN, September 13–15!

Register now! National Network of Immunization Coalitions will hold a webinar titled “Making Them Care: Talking to College Students about Vaccines” on August 17.

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions will host a webinar titled Making Them Care: Talking to College Students about Vaccines at noon (ET) on August 17 with speakers from the Meningitis B Action Project and the Unity Consortium. The webinar will discuss making vaccination a priority for college students and will talk about what organizations serving college students can do to improve student health and immunization coverage.

Judy Klein, President, Unity Consortium will lead a straight-talk discussion with college students and Unity members, Kelly Danielpour and Ethan Lindenberger, on what it will take to increase vaccine uptake on college campuses. Ms. Klein will then connect the student recommendations with Unity resources that are available to support college vaccination efforts.

The Meningitis B Action Project will provide updates on using peer health educators to reach college students with health messaging using their new Meningitis B Student Hub. They will also discuss their new MenACWY and MenB algorithm that helps clinicians clarify questions around meningitis vaccinations and recommendations. Speakers will include Patti Wukovits, BSN, RN, and Alicia Stillman MBA, MPH, co-founders of the Meningitis B Action Project, who each lost their adolescent daughters to Meningitis B.

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit will hold its in-person meeting November 2–3 in Atlanta, GA. Summit members register now!

The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) will hold its 2022 in-person meeting titled Improving Adult Immunizations to Sustain Progress Accomplished during the Pandemic on November 2–3, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia in Atlanta, Georgia.

Registration is free and open to all Summit members. We anticipate significant interest. Once the meeting registration reaches capacity, registration will be closed. This will also apply to the awards luncheon. If you register and are later unable to attend, please notify us at info@izsummitpartners.org so we can open space for someone else.

Persons needing the password to register for this invitation-only event may contact info@izsummitpartners.org.

Visit the registration page.

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions welcomes Immunize Wisconsin, the newest immunization coalition!

Immunize Wisconsin, the statewide immunization coalition funded by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, will officially launch in late Summer 2022.

The focus of the statewide coalition will be to support community and regional organizations working on immunization efforts at the community level. Immunize Wisconsin will host a Regional Coalition meet and greet in late summer and a best practices educational event in mid-September.

Immunization Action Coalition of Washington publishes blog and video celebrating National Immunization Awareness Month and hosts its quarterly meeting on August 17

The Immunization Action Coalition of Washington (IACW) published a blog titled Q&A with Neil Kaneshiro: Celebrating National Immunization Awareness Month. Pediatrician and Immunization Action Coalition of Washington (IACW) chairperson, Neil Kaneshiro, MD, answers questions about why vaccines are important for people of all ages, and what we can do right now to protect our family’s health.

IACW has also posted a video on its YouTube channel in honor of 2022 National Immunization Awareness Month. The video highlights IACW Executive Members and their thoughts on why vaccination is so important.

View the video.

Additionally, IACW will be hosting its August IACW Quarterly Meeting 2022 titled Increasing Vaccination Rates for Children on Medicaid from 3:00–5:00 p.m. (ET) on August 17. The meeting will cover COVID-19 vaccination rates for Medicaid clients and increasing routine vaccination rates for children on Medicaid. During the meeting, the 2022 IACW Immunization Champion Awards will be announced and awardees will be recognized.

Montgomery County Immunization Coalition hosts community town halls to build confidence around COVID-19 vaccines

The Montgomery County Immunization Coalition (MCIC) has been hosting Town Halls to connect trusted healthcare and community leaders with the community to help build confidence around COVID-19 vaccines. The coalition has brought together 162 individuals representing over 90 diverse partner organizations across Montgomery County, working to educate individuals on the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations and ensure communities have the most accurate information possible to make informed choices for themselves and their families. MCIC actively engages these organizations in the planning, design, and implementation of its community engagement and education campaigns to ensure that it is providing clear, accurate, and culturally appropriate messages.

During the town halls, local leaders share the latest updates and answer questions and concerns from the community. Attendees can submit questions in advance or ask them live. Over the past 18 months, MCIC has collaborated with partner organizations to host 19 town halls generating 2,700 Zoom registrations and over 100,000 Facebook Live views.

View recordings of past MCIC Town Halls.

Immunize Kansas Coalition offers new interactive education module for Spanish-speaking populations on the importance of immunizations and the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases

The Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) is now offering a Spanish version of its education module, Protecting Kansas with Immunizations. The quick and interactive 10- to 15-minute module is designed for Spanish-speaking populations and highlights common questions and concerns surrounding immunizations. Participants learn the importance of immunizations, the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, and why maintaining state childhood vaccination policies is crucial to the health of children, pregnant individuals, and adults.

View the module in Spanish.

IKC also offers modules for clinicians on HPV vaccines (CME available), influenza vaccines (CME available), and increasing vaccine uptake in pregnant individuals, as well as a module for pregnant individuals highlighting vaccines needed during pregnancy, 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 director for research, Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH, led the multi-disciplinary team that developed these innovative modules.

Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families releases a blog encouraging people to get vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B

The Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families released a blog on getting vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, titled Public Health Priorities: Adults Should Check Vaccine Records, Get Immunized against Hepatitis. The blog post discusses what to know about hepatitis, the disease symptoms and spread, and how to check your immunization records.

You can find other useful blog posts on Oklahoma Alliance for Health Families Blog web page.

Related Link

Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families Facebook post (7/6/22)

Voices for Vaccines shares resources for National Immunization Awareness Month!

Voices for Vaccines (VFV) is offering social media graphics for National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) that can be customized with your own colors, photos, and logos to match your brand. Each week has its own theme, so you can coordinate your vaccination efforts with your own and other partner resources.

Related Link

Vaccinate Your Family: National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) web page

Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

National Association of School Nurses announces the Champions for School Health funding opportunity designed to increase access to and confidence in pediatric COVID-19 vaccine and school-required vaccines, particularly in under-resourced communities

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN), in collaboration with the Institute of Educational Leadership (IEL) and with generous support from Kaiser Permanente, announced the second Champions for School Health funding opportunity designed to increase access to and confidence in the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine and school-required vaccines, particularly in under-resourced communities.

In this funding cycle, awards between $10,000–$30,000 will be given. Awards are limited to grantees within the Kaiser Permanente market (California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia). The deadline for submission of grant applications is 5 p.m. (ET) on September 30.

View the complete announcement with application instructions.

Visit the Application Portal.

If you have questions, please contact Deborah D’Souza-Vazirani at dvazirani@nasn.org or Stephanye White at swhite@nasn.org.

Related Link

NASN: Champions for School Health web page

Hep B United hosts webinar “Community Collaborations with Health Departments for Hepatitis B Prevention” on August 18

Hep B United, NASTAD, and National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) will host a webinar titled Community Collaborations with Health Departments for Hepatitis B Prevention at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on August 18. Panelists will discuss examples of successful community collaborations with health departments and how community organizations can form strong, lasting relationships with them in order to prevent hepatitis B.

Pacific Northwest immunization partners host seminar to promote adult immunizations on August 23

Pacific Northwest immunization partners will convene stakeholders for the Pacific Northwest Seminar 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (PT) on August 23, to promote immunizations across the lifespan. The meeting will also provide a networking opportunity for Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) community-based organizations, partners, and stakeholders.

Save the Date! National Minority Quality Forum hosts webinar on diabetes, cardiovascular disease and vaccinations on August 26.

The National Minority Quality Forum‘s (NMQF) Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SHC) is exploring total health at the intersection of vaccinations within communities of color. SHC recognized the need to integrate total health education with efforts to increase vaccination uptake in communities of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interactive webinars based on various therapeutic areas that inform microsites, flyers, and infographics have been an innovative solution for disseminating timely public health education in a virtual/hybrid environment. SHC has partnered with the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and their iREACH team to codesign each webinar and microsite.

So far, SHC and AIM/iREACH have hosted interactive webinars on:

Chronic Kidney Disease (Webinar, Microsite, English Flyer, Spanish Flyer)
Black Maternal Health (Webinar, Microsite, English Flyer, Spanish Flyer)
The Pandemic’s Toll on Mental Health (Webinar, Microsite, English Flyer, Spanish Flyer)
Cancer and Vaccines (Webinar, Microsite, English Flyer)
Hypertension and Vaccines (Microsite, English Flyer, Spanish Flyer)

August’s webinar on heart disease, diabetes, and vaccines will be held at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on August 26.

Total Health topics left to explore include health and wellness, lung health, healthy aging, and HIV/AIDS.

If you have any questions or if you would like your organization to collaborate with NMQF/SHC and AIM/iREACH on a future webinar, please contact Kristen Hobbs at khobbs@nmqf.org.

Virtual: CHOP Vaccine Education Center’s Current Issues in Vaccines webinar on September 14 features Dr. Paul Offit discussing COVID-19 boosters, yearly vaccines, variant-specific vaccines, and what’s next; CE available

The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will present a 1-hour webinar on COVID-19 boosters, yearly vaccines, variant-specific vaccines, and what’s next, beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on September 14. Part of its Current Issues in Vaccines series, the webinar will feature Paul Offit, MD, director of the VEC.

Free continuing-education credits (CME, CEU, and CPE) will be available for both the live and archived events.

Related Link

VEC’s Vaccine Webinar Archive web page

Resources

August is National Immunization Awareness Month; promote vaccination with helpful resources for all ages

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This annual observance highlights efforts to protect people of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases through on-time vaccination. This year, NIAM focuses our attention on the urgent need to catch up on routine visits and vaccinations that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDC’s NIAM web page includes key messages, sample social media content, and educational resources in two toolkits:

One for reaching healthcare professionals
Another for reaching parents and patients

CDC encourages its partners to share these messages and resources throughout August using the hashtag #ivax2protect. Stay tuned for more resources to be released throughout the coming weeks.

Related Links

CDC: NIAM web page
CDC: Toolkit for Reaching Healthcare Professionals main page
CDC: Toolkit for Reaching Parents and Patients main page

Hepatitis B Foundation releases a partner toolkit for National Immunization Awareness Month with materials for the universal adult hepatitis B vaccination recommendation

In recognition of National Immunization Awareness Month, the Hepatitis B Foundation has created a partner toolkit for social media and promotional materials for the universal adult hepatitis B vaccination recommendation. Featured in the toolkit are social media graphics, sample social media posts, posters, and a hepatitis B vaccine record card.

View the toolkit.

Association of Immunization Managers shares their new podcast and a COVID-19 Vaccination Social Media Toolkit

The Association of Immunization Managers posted its first episode on its new podcast, AIMing to Inform. The first episode featured AIM’s executive director, Claire Hannan, explaining why 2022 was the right time to launch the AIMing to Inform podcast and what she hopes you get from the new series.

Listen to the podcast on the AIMing to Inform web page, and like, subscribe, and review on Apple or Spotify!

Additionally, AIM offers a new COVID-19 Vaccination Social Media Toolkit with tips and sample posts for encouraging COVID-19 vaccination among racial and ethnic minority adults. The messages and images in this toolkit have been specifically developed based on feedback from community health workers in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, and Texas and may also be applicable in your jurisdiction. Additional sample messages and graphics that can be used for Facebook and Instagram Stories will be released in the upcoming months.

If you have questions about the toolkit, want to co-brand, or need help getting started, email info@immunizationmanagers.org.

National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants shares immunization resources including translated materials for schools, school partners, community organizations and local governments on COVID-19, monkeypox and routine immunizations

The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) is funded by the CDC to support health departments and community organizations working with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. NRC-RIM has many resources available for organizations working with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities:

Toolkit for Schools and School Partners web page offers translated fact sheets, event plans, and other strategies for working with schools to get their communities vaccinated against COVID-19 or catch up on other routine vaccinations
Responding to COVID-19 Waves web page offers resources on how to share translated information, mobilize trusted messengers, and more
Applying Lessons Learned from COVID-19 to the Monkeypox Response main page offers contact tracing campaigns, information about creating culturally and linguistically relevant health education materials, training for contract tracers, and information on how to identify community partners
Updated fact sheets and conversation guides reflect new CDC guidance about vaccines being recommended for children age 6 months and older
Vaccines for Children web page offers a collection of resources supporting organizations wishing to extend their vaccine programs to eligible children

CHOP’s Vaccine Education Center releases MMR vaccine and hepatitis B vaccine infographics and updates COVID-19 infographic

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center (VEC) offers three new/recently updated infographics for the public:

New: MMR infographic (PDF), available on VEC’s A Look at Each Vaccine: Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine web page
New: Hepatitis B infographic (PDF), available on VEC’s A Look at Each Vaccine: Hepatitis B Vaccine web page
Updated: COVID-19: The Disease vs. the Vaccine, infographic (PDF), available on VEC’s A Look at Each Vaccine: COVID-19 Vaccine web page

American Academy of Pediatrics develops interactive map to explore each state’s vaccination rates and compare them with national rates

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) developed an interactive map, Child Vaccination across America. This tool allows the user to see state and national vaccination rates (including COVID-19 vaccination rates) and outbreaks when hovering over the map. Users also can learn about vaccination gaps related to insurance, race and ethnicity, poverty, and geographic area.

Find all of this information using the interactive map created by AAP.

Autism Society of America releases its “Guide to Accessible Vaccine Clinics”

The Autism Society of America released its Guide to Accessible Vaccine Clinics, which shares helpful tips and links for vaccination providers who serve neurodiverse patients, including those with autism. Neurodiverse people may avoid vaccinations because vaccination visits can be traumatic and stressful. The guide also offers ideas that may be valuable to all patients of any age who have anxiety about vaccination visits.

The Autism Society of America believes increasing vaccination rates is a crucial step towards improving the lives of people with autism, their families, and their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its COVID-19: Vaccine Education Initiative (VEI), the Autism Society of America is committed to increasing vaccine education, confidence, and access through grassroots efforts. The initiative offers toolkits, support groups, educational programs, online events, and more.

Related Links

Autism Society of America website
Autism Society of America: Guide to Accessible Vaccine Clinics (PDF)
Autism Society of America: COVID-19: Vaccine Education Initiative main page

Job Announcements

Immunize Kansas Coalition is recruiting for an Executive Director

The Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) is recruiting for a full-time Executive Director to focus on IKC’s growth, development, and sustainability, serve as IKC’s official media representative and spokesperson, and provide leadership to advocacy efforts and to the administration of the growing organization.

Please see the job posting for more information, and direct questions to IKC Chair, Carlie Houchen, at carlie.houchen@bcbsks.com.

Coalitions in the News

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

The Stanly News & Press: Back to School Means Time to Get Children Up to Date on Required, Recommended Vaccines (8/2/22)
WYNT: New Yorkers Urged to Get Polio Vaccine (8/1/22)
Washington Post: D.C. Schools Expand COVID Vaccine Mandate, unlike Most Other Districts (7/31/22)
CNN: More than 40% Of Parents of Young Kids Say They Will Not Get Their Child a COVID-19 Vaccine, Survey Finds (7/26/22)
New York Times: How to Get Vaccinated, Tested and Treated for Monkeypox (7/21/22)
KRQE: NMDOH Back-to-School Immunization Clinics Start This Weekend (7/9/22)

If you have an article that showcases your coalition and you would like it featured in this newsletter, please email info@immunizationcoalitions.org.

Announcements

Announcements from the National Network of Immunization Coalitions

We wish everyone could come to the National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships in September, but you don’t have to be there to be in the know. The National Network of Immunization Coalitions reminds you of the important ways every coalition can plug in to the power of our network:

Bookmark National Network of Immunization Coalitions’ Calendar of Events on its website, immunizationcoalitions.org to learn about upcoming national, regional, state, and local conferences; workshops; and virtual educational opportunities
Subscribe to IZ Express, the free weekly e-newsletter produced by Immunize.org, for immunization-related news, news and updated recommendations, educational materials, and educational opportunities
Urge your coalition members to sign up for IZ Coalitions Network News, the monthly e-newsletter for the National Network of Immunization Coalitions that features news of interest to immunization coalitions and nonprofit organizations. To subscribe, send a request to info@immunizationcoalitions.org asking to be included.
Be sure that your coalition is listed and information is up to date on the National Network of Immunization Coalitions website. To add your coalition or make updates, please email info@immunizationcoalitions.org.