Network News – September 27, 2022

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

Resources

Coalitions in the News

Announcements

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Thank you to all of the planners and participants for making the 2022 National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships a huge success! We are working with the speakers to get slide decks posted as soon as possible.

Immunize​.org and Voices for Vaccines cohosted the 15th National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships (NCICP), an in-person meeting that was held in Minneapolis/St. Paul at the Radisson Blu Mall of America on September 13–15, 2022. The NCICP is the only conference solely dedicated to collaboration and partnership to improve immunization uptake, educate our communities, and prevent the spread of disease. The conference also addressed challenges in the immunization field by sharing successful strategies that strengthen the work our coalitions and partners do. This year was an especially engaging and inspirational conference with many new partners from the National Council of Negro Women.

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions would like to thank the planning committee: Julie Murphy (co-chair), Karen Ernst (co-chair), L.J Tan, Synovia Moss, Judy Strait-Jones, Amy Pisani, Andrea Polkinghorn, Mackenzie Melton, Katy Gore, Lisa Robertson, Heather Mercer, Elizabeth Faber, Connie Satzler, and Beth Till, for organizing the conference that generated a registration of 374 people, exceeding all expectations.

NCICP recognized this year’s vaccination heroes during an awards ceremony. The following awardees have made extraordinary contributions to advancing vaccine access, awareness, and decreasing hesitancy:

  • 2022 Immunization Leadership Award: Erica DeWald of Vaccinate Your Family
  • 2022 Equity in Immunization Award: Julissa Soto of Immunize Colorado
  • 2022 Emerging Leader Award: Ashlesha Kaushik, MD, of Immunize Iowa
  • 2022 Excellence in Immunization Advocacy Award: Heather Braum of Kansas Action for Children
  • 2022 Excellence in Immunization Collaboration Award: Leisha Andersen, MD, MPH, an independent contractor with AAP
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Deborah Wexler, MD, founder of Immunization Action Coalition (now Immunize.org)

With great appreciation, we thank all who participated in NCICP this year!

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Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions highlights the New Mexico Immunization Coalition, which will celebrate its twentieth anniversary this December!

The New Mexico Immunization Coalition (NMIC) was founded in 2002 and will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary this December. NMIC was founded as a collaborative effort between the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center, the New Mexico Department of Health Immunization Program, and the Office of the First Lady, Barbara Richardson. The coalition is a public/private partnership with over 450 members. It works to improve immunization rates through education, advocacy, supporting local efforts, and organizing immunization outreach activities.

Over the last 20 years, NMIC has worked on numerous campaigns to increase vaccine uptake, catch children up on vaccinations, and educate the population on the importance of immunizing children. In 2002, New Mexico ranked next to last in the nation in terms of on-time vaccination rates for children by age two. Today, with NMIC and high-level attention, New Mexico is on par with the national average.

NMIC produces posters, flyers, fact sheets, bus wraps, window clings, radio and TV PSAs, social media posts, and newsletters. A major NMIC immunization event each summer is their “Got Shots” campaign, where providers around the state sign up to vaccinate any child who presents to their office, regardless of insurance status, and at no cost to the family. Some providers hold special events or extend their hours to include evenings and weekends to accommodate parents’ schedules. Each year, approximately 70-90 providers participate, vaccinating more than 2,000 children with more than 5,000 vaccines.

Along with managed care partners, NMIC puts together bags of incentives for the providers to give out to the kids. Incentives may include school pencil pouches, books, rubber duckies, mood pencils, stickers, and water bottles.

  

In coordination with National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) each spring, NMIC gives awards to providers who are doing an excellent job at vaccinating children in the community. There are different categories of awards, including those with rates over 80% for childhood vaccines and those with rates over 80% for HPV completion. Every few years, NMIC recognizes hospitals for excellent rates of administration of the hepatitis B birth dose, as well as the recognition of several immunization champions who have gone above and beyond in the field of immunizations.

Over the past ten years, NMIC has broadened its focus to incorporate adult vaccines, flu, shingles, and COVID-19.

Each December, NMIC holds its annual meeting with a national keynote speaker and local speakers to address the great work being done in New Mexico. Over the last two years, the meetings have been virtual but NMIC is hopeful that this year’s meeting will be a hybrid.


Anna L. Pentler, Executive Director, NMIC, and Maggie A. June, Program Specialist, NMIC

NMIC continues to evolve its focus as the needs of the community shift and works closely with the New Mexico Department of Health Immunization Program.

We wish New Mexico Immunization Coalition a very happy twentieth anniversary this December!

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Montgomery County Immunization Coalition launches a social media toolkit to bring attention to the importance of COVID-19 vaccination during Hispanic Heritage Month and shares flu messaging

National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed every year from September 15 to October 15. This year, Montgomery County Immunization Coalition (MCIC) is focusing on bringing attention to the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in the Hispanic community. MCIC is working with partner organizations to create bilingual social media images and messages that you can use on your social media platforms to encourage the Hispanic community to get all of the recommended COVID-19 vaccines.

The social media toolkit can be found in MCIC’s AmVAXador Library under “Social Media Tool Kit.” Please feel free to use and share.

Additionally, MCIC has created new flyers and social media images with sample text to make it easy to encourage flu and COVID-19 vaccination in your community. MCIC worked with partner organizations to make resources available in five languages. The resources can be found in all five languages in MCIC’s AmVAXador Library under “Featured Resources.” Please feel free to use and share.

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Virtual: Unity Consortium hosts “Powering Young Adult and Youth Engagement” webinar moderated by Dr. Chelsea Clinton on October 11, and releases two FACTSinnated podcasts

The Unity Consortium will host a webinar titled Powering Young Adult and Youth Engagement at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on October 11. Chelsea Clinton, PhD, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation will moderate a discussion with young adult health advocates ready to share the power of engaging adolescents and young adults in their preventive health decisions.

Register for the webinar.

Unity also offers a podcast, FACTSinnated, that explores misconceptions surrounding adolescent and young adult vaccines. In each episode, they, with experts in the field, delve into a commonly held misperception to explore the issues and debunk vaccine myths.

Listen to the FACTSinnated podcasts.

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In-person: The Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families announces its “Stand Up for Science 2022 Conference” on November 4 in Oklahoma City, OK

The Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families announced its Stand Up for Science 2022 Conference from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (CT) on November 4 in Oklahoma City, OK. The conference is an educational event targeting immunization leaders and healthcare providers from around Oklahoma who have an interest in addressing and improving immunization issues. You will hear from panelists, including local doctors and leading science experts, discussing informed decision-making and other current topics in immunization.

Register for the conference.

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Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

Encourage pharmacists to sign up for NMQF’s Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity’s Community Pharmacist Ambassador program to promote health in underserved and diverse communities of color

The National Minority Quality Forum’s (NMQF) Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SCH) and NOVA ScriptsCentral, with support from CDC, Sanofi Pasteur, Biogen, and other organizations, launched a Community Pharmacist Ambassadors Program (CPA). CPA trains pharmacists to serve as community health educators outside of the pharmacy, providing sound health information while increasing public recognition of the vital role pharmacists can play in health promotion.

The online training program consists of self-paced online modules that provide up-to-date information on the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as presentation decks to communicate effectively in public settings and in speaking with people of color. This year, additional modules for pharmacists to help educate about and manage will include clinical research with a focus on lupus. Information will also be provided on health education opportunities in your community.

Upon completion of the program, pharmacists become NMQF Health Champions and Community Pharmacist Ambassadors.

Pharmacists can enroll in the program by signing up to become Community Pharmacist Ambassadors.

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Save the Date! National Minority Quality Forum hosts webinar on healthy aging and vaccinations on September 30.

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:

September’s webinar on healthy aging and vaccinations will be held at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on September 30.

Total Health topics left to explore include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lung health, 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

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Hybrid: The Forum for Collaborative Research and UC Berkeley School of Public Health host hybrid meeting “Towards Accelerating Strategies for Hepatitis B Elimination: Increasing Vaccination among Adults in High-Impact Settings” on November 1 in Atlanta, GA

The Forum for Collaborative Research, in partnership with UC Berkeley School of Public Health, is hosting the adult hepatitis B vaccination event Towards Accelerating Strategies for Hepatitis B Elimination: Increasing Vaccination among Adults in High-Impact Settings from 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (ET) on November 1 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel in Atlanta, GA or virtually. This event is aimed at producing recommendations for implementation of the universal hepatitis B vaccine among adults age 19–59, following guidance from ACIP. The symposium will convene stakeholders across health care, health departments, national viral hepatitis organizations, and other professional societies. Participants will collaboratively strategize in small, focused breakout groups to develop implementation recommendations for increasing adult hepatitis B vaccination, especially in high-impact settings.

The Forum for Collaborative Research extends a warm invitation to all members of the National Network of Immunization Coalitions to attend and participate in the event alongside other partners, including the Hepatitis B Foundation, Immunize​.org, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, among others. This is a unique opportunity to contribute your local and state expertise to help produce a national strategy for adult hepatitis B vaccination. We highly encourage event participation from those with experience in viral hepatitis, community immunization strategies, viral hepatitis health education programming, and/or health policy at local and state levels.

Individuals planning to participate in the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) should note that the event is taking place the day before NAIIS at the same hotel.

Register for the event.

For questions, please contact Mitchell Leus at mleus@forumresearch.org.

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In-person: National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit holds 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. 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.

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Virtual: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases hosts “Clinical Vaccinology Course” on November 16–18; CME/CNE available

The National Foundation of Infectious Diseases (NFID) will host its Clinical Vaccinology Course on November 16–18. This 3-day online course focuses on new developments and issues related to the use of vaccines, including the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination recommendations, practical strategies for ensuring timely immunization, and the ongoing impact and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Course topics include ACIP updates, addressing vaccine hesitancy, preventing outbreaks, strategies to increase immunization rates, and vaccine safety and monitoring.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) will be offered.

Register for the online course ($750 fee).

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Resources

Immunize​.org launches new social media program to highlight our educational resources; please like and share on your channels!

Immunize​.org launched a new social media program to highlight our educational resources. Our social media channels now feature our most popular printable resources and Ask the Experts questions, as well as announcements important to frontline vaccinators.

Like, follow, and share Immunize​.org’s social media accounts and please encourage your colleagues and coalition partners to do likewise:

Each additional follower extends the reach of our work to help healthcare professionals deliver quality vaccination services to people of all ages.

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Vaccinate Your Family updates its gallery of personal stories featuring individuals and families that have been affected by vaccine-preventable diseases

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) updated its Personal Stories gallery featuring individuals and families affected by vaccine-preventable diseases such as COVID-19, flu, HPV, measles, and meningococcal disease. Please feel free to share these stories.

If you’re interested in having a VYF advocate share their story at an upcoming event or if you know someone who’s been affected by a vaccine-preventable disease who needs support, please email Serese Marotta, Director of Advocacy & Education at serese@vaccinateyourfamily.org.

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Association of Immunization Managers shares the recording of its recent webinar “Translating Vaccine Confidence Research into Practice,” part of their Vaccine Confidence Webinar Series

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) hosted a webinar on September 6 titled Translating Vaccine Confidence Research into Practice, as a part of its Vaccine Confidence Webinar Series. Through presentations and a Q&A panel, immunization programs gained new tools to help healthcare providers, pharmacists, and community partners increase vaccine confidence in communities. The webinar featured three evidence-based models to increase community vaccine confidence:

  • ASPIRE framework: presented by Angela Shen, ScD, MPH; Visiting Research Scientist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Adjunct Associate Professor, Perelman School of Medicine & Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute, University of Pennsylvania
  • LetsTalkShots: presented by Daniel Salmon, Ph.D., Director and Professor, Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • ImmYounity module: presented by Amy Nicholas, PharmD, Medical Managed Care Director, Vaccines at Sanofi (presentation not recorded)

View the recording, slides, and related resources.

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What you measure gets better! Vaccine Track gives users access to regularly updated data on uptake of CDC-recommended adult vaccines.

Vaccine Track is a new website that displays state and national trend data on the use of vaccines recommended for U.S. adults. Vaccine Track is produced through a partnership between GSK and Iqvia, a data analytics company.

As an example of its usefulness, the Vaccine Track main page shows how adult vaccination rates fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, using claims data from Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurers, and cash services. Vaccine Track shows vaccination trends to help inform and achieve clinical and public health efforts to reach Healthy People 2030 immunization objectives. The data will be refreshed quarterly with only a 3-month lag time. CDC adult vaccination coverage reports are typically updated once every 12 months with data at least 1 year old at the time of publication. Vaccine Track is the first tool to make comprehensive vaccination claims data across different payer types available publicly.

Users can explore state and national vaccination trends for adults age 19 years and older in the United States:

  • Across multiple vaccines
  • Across years
  • By demographics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, gender, payer type)

Related Links

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VYF’s Shot of Prevention releases blog post on important things to know about monkeypox

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) hosts a blog, Shot of Prevention, where people come to discuss news and views on vaccines. Check out the most recent blog post on Shot of Prevention:

Subscribe to Shot of Prevention to get the latest blog posts delivered to your inbox.

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Coalitions in the News

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

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

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Announcements

Announcements from the National Network of Immunization Coalitions

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.

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