November 17, 2022

Network News – November 17, 2022

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions highlights the Immunization Coalition of Los Angeles County!

The Immunization Coalition of Los Angeles County (ICLAC) is a diverse, grassroots, community-based partnership comprising Los Angeles County providers, hospitals, schools, universities, clinics, pharmacies, and health plans, as well as public health, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations. ICLAC was founded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and serves over 5 million residents in Los Angeles County, which is the largest county in the nation.

ICLAC’s mission is collaboration to improve access to recommended and required immunizations across the lifespan, especially in groups with the lowest vaccination coverage and those at the highest risk for vaccine-preventable diseases in Los Angeles County. Unfortunately, limited resources caused ICLAC to be inactive during the first two years of the pandemic. However, the coalition relaunched under new leadership in April 2022, after a thorough assessment including listening sessions with key constituents.

In the past 6 months, ICLAC has:

Used a pre-pandemic grant to create and implement an Immunization Stem Pilot Program in an underserved area with kids in grades 5–8
Received a Champions for School Health Grant from the National Association of School Nurses and the Institute for Educational Leadership to improve overall immunization outreach, education, and vaccinations for lower performing LA schools
Launched a weekly newsletter with over 300+ subscribers. Anyone can subscribe to the newsletter by emailing Kimberly Cooper at kcooper@ph.lacounty.gov.
Revamped and rebranded the ICLAC website in preparation for ICLAC’s 25th anniversary in 2023
Reworked general education sessions that previously engaged an average of 20 attendees to create two hybrid Vaccine Forums for over 120 participants, covering immunization-related topics with a variety of experts including members of ACIP, state pharmacy leaders, and leaders of community and national organizations

Visit the revamped ICLAC website to learn more.

**Immunize Kansas Coalition launches its #KansasFightsFlu Collegiate Challenge and shares college vaccine messaging**

The Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) launched its #KansasFightsFlu Collegiate Challenge. This campaign was created by Immunize Kansas Coalition, KFMC Health Improvement Partners, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The Collegiate Challenge aims to help colleges and universities in Kansas promote their yearly flu clinics and ultimately raise the rates of flu vaccination among their students. This year, nine colleges and universities are participating in the Collegiate Challenge across the state of Kansas.

The #KansasFightsFlu web page includes a Data Dashboard, which monitors the percentage of students that have completed an after-vaccination survey and tracks, by school, students vaccinated against flu. A fully equipped social media toolkit is also housed on the landing page with social media graphics and messaging to help guide educational outreach towards students. In addition to digital resources, there is a complete campaign toolkit designed to help student health clinics and school administrators develop a plan to improve flu vaccination on campus.

Many schools and universities are planning to hold or have held vaccination events for the fall and the flu vaccine numbers are coming in daily. No matter who wins the #KansasFightsFlu Collegiate Challenge, we all win as we raise flu vaccination rates and keep students and communities healthy.

Visit IKC’s #KansasFightsFlu web page for more information.

Unity Consortium urges partners to participate in Adolescent Immunization Action Week 2023

Mark your calendar. Unity Consortium would like you to join the second annual Adolescent Immunization Action Week (#AIAW23) from April 3 through 7. During Adolescent Immunization Action Week, Unity urges parents, adolescents, and healthcare professionals to keep adolescents up to date on recommended immunizations. Spring is a great time to plan or schedule adolescent wellness visits and immunizations.

Unity will share toolkits with resources for you to use in your communications with members and constituents. Contact unity@unity4teenvax.org to participate. Please consider sponsoring webinars and events, and include #AIAW23 in your communications leading up to and during Adolescent Immunization Action Week.

Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

**Virtual: CHOP’s Current Issues in Vaccines for Providers webinar on December 7 features Dr. Paul Offit discussing polio; CE available**

The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) will present a 1-hour webinar titled Is Polio Coming Back? beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on December 7. 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.

In-person: NFID hosts 2022 Awards Gala & Silent Auction on December 8 in Washington, DC

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) will present annual awards to outstanding individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to public health through scientific achievement, philanthropy, and/or policy work. You can join the NFID for the 2022 NFID Awards Gala & Silent Auction, on December 8, in Washington, DC, to celebrate the work of inspirational public health heroes who have helped protect the lives of millions.

This year, NFID is honoring:

Katherine L. O’Brien, MD, MPH, director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals at the World Health Organization
Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD, senior advisor for Global Health Equity and professor of medicine and microbiology, biochemistry, and immunology at Morehouse School of Medicine
Bruce G. Gellin, MD, MPH, senior vice president at The Rockefeller Foundation and chief of global public health strategy for the Pandemic Prevention Institute

Visit the 2022 NFID Awards Gala & Silent Auction web page for more information and to purchase a ticket.

Resources

From the Association of Immunization Managers: a new podcast episode, an updated COVID-19 vaccination toolkit, and an influenza vaccine resource

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) posted a new episode on its podcast, AIMing to Inform on October 11. The episode features Dave McCormick, director of the Immunization Division at the Indiana State Department of Health, sharing heartwarming stories of the impact public health has had on the people in his state. Learn how he has worked to reframe catch-up vaccination with new messages and vaccine touchpoints.

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

AIM has also released an updated resource, COVID-19 Vaccination Social Media Toolkit. The COVID-19 Vaccination Social Media Toolkit was adapted from the existing Vaccine Access and Training (VAT) project and is available for all AIM members and partners.

The HRSA-funded VAT project provides resources to address disparities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic minority adults. The messages and images in the 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 community.

New and updated messages available in English and Spanish highlight new COVID-19 booster recommendations, questions people have about the Omicron bivalent booster, and coadministration of COVID-19 and flu vaccine.

Finally, AIM, in collaboration with Immunize.org, created the Communicating the Benefits of Influenza Vaccine during COVID-19 handout for patients and providers. The handout includes information on the burden of influenza from 2010 to 2022, benefits of seasonal flu vaccines, tips for discussing flu vaccine, and the vaccination rate during the 2021–22 flu season. When discussing flu vaccines, you can increase vaccination rates by keeping the conversation simple, using a presumptive approach, and telling people why we vaccinate.

National Minority Quality Forum shares webinar recording on their Community Pharmacist Ambassador Program

The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) hosted a webinar titled Community-Building Pharmacists Bringing Health to Your Neighborhood on October 28. During the webinar, NMQF discussed its Community Pharmacy Ambassador program and how to support pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students to become trusted voices in communities of color to achieve health equity and provide health education.

Watch the archived webinar.

Find out more about the Community Pharmacy Ambassador program.

Public Health, Religion, and Spirituality Network shares article “Facing Challenges in Public Health Change for a Person of Faith in Colorado”

On October 11, Public Health, Religion, and Spirituality Network published Facing Challenges in Public Health Change for a Person of Faith in Colorado, featuring Julissa Soto, a public health consultant in Colorado. The first paragraph is reprinted below.

I act as a bridge between the Latino community, public health leaders, and religious leaders. In that sense, I’m a messenger, an intermediary, between these groups that do not have a good understanding of each other. So, I help make the connections to help them understand each other better, and I do it through the health tool of vaccination. One of the major projects I’ve led the past few years is ‘Vaccine Sunday‘ held at Catholic Churches in Colorado. These events take a huge amount of effort to put together because you have to work with all three groups, which, again, do not know how to work together well. The inability to know or work well together contributes to the mistrust, distance, and siloing that keeps our health system broken and health system disparities thriving for decades.

Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society offers free access to Comprehensive Vaccine Education Program and 2022 edition of The Vaccine Handbook App in iOS and Android formats

The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) offers free access to its two-pronged Comprehensive Vaccine Education Program (CVEP). CVEP aims to help trainees (e.g., medical or nursing students) who need an introduction to key vaccination topics and experienced providers who want a refresher.

CVEP consists of two innovative components available via the QR code above.

Collaboration for Vaccine Education and Research (CoVER) program: This online curriculum with 19 interactive modules includes topics such as vaccine fundamentals, safety, specific vaccine-preventable diseases, and how to communicate effectively about vaccines. The updated modules are more user-friendly, and the program now features group enrollment to a learning management system that enables program directors to track learners’ progress. This is useful whether you use a set of modules (e.g., residencies) or single modules (e.g., coalitions’ performance improvement projects). Immunize.org’s director for research, Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH, is the lead author of the CoVER curriculum.
The Vaccine Handbook App (TVH App): Available for iOS and Android devices, the app contains the new 11th edition of The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians (also known as “The Purple Book”). TVH App provides key details about every vaccine licensed in the United States and much more.

Learn more about CVEP and how to enroll here.

PIDS also offers the new 2022 The Vaccine Handbook App. The app has been updated with the 11th edition of The Vaccine Handbook by Gary Marshall, MD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Louisville. Sponsored by the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS), the app is a comprehensive source of practical information for vaccine providers, educators, and advocates. Highlights of the 11th edition include:

Information about COVID-19 vaccines and other new vaccines
Numerous educational resources
Full searchability, allowing for bookmarking, highlighting, and annotation, with hyperlinks to valuable online content

The free app is formatted for iOS devices (e.g., iPhones, iPads) and, for the first time, Android devices. The app may be found by searching the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for The Vaccine Handbook App or by using the following QR code.

Print copies of the new 11th edition of The Vaccine Handbook will be available soon and can be purchased online from the publisher, Professional Communications, Inc. (West Islip, NY). The cost is $39.95 each; bulk discounts are available.

Related Links

The Vaccine Handbook App in the Apple App Store
The Vaccine Handbook App in the Google Play Store
The Vaccine Handbook ordering page

**VYF’s Shot of Prevention releases two blog posts**

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 Shot of Prevention blog posts:
- Do Kids Have to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine for School?
- We’re Worried about This Flu Season: Here’s Why
Subscribe to Shot of Prevention to get the latest blog posts delivered to your inbox.

Coalitions in the News

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

Washington Post: Why Polio, Once Nearly Eradicated, Is Rebounding (10/7/22)
CNN: Updated COVID-19 Boosters Are ‘Most Important Thing’ Americans Can Do for Their Health Today, Official Says (10/7/22)
KTNV: Are You Protected? Immunize Nevada Encourages Flu, COVID-19 Vaccines Ahead of Flu Season (10/5/22)
Drug Topics: Expanding the Reach of Public Health to Assist Influenza Immunization Rates (10/4/22)
AAFP.org: New Tools Aid Talks on Vaccine Safety, Routine Immunizations (10/4/22)
Contemporary Pediatrics: AAP Discusses Importance of Immunization Information Systems (9/27/22)

Announcements

This is the last Network News of 2022. The editorial team wishes everyone a joyful and healthy holiday season and a happy new year! We look forward to learning and sharing your coalition news in January 2023.

All of us at the National Network of Immunization Coalitions wish you, our readers, a safe, happy, and healthy remainder of the holiday season. Our next issue of Network News will arrive in January of 2023. Continue to send in your stories.

Thank you for your loyal readership and partnership in sharing your stories with your peers through Network News. It is our privilege to publicize and celebrate your tireless efforts to protect your communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. We wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, influenza-vaccinated, and COVID-19 bivalent-boosted holiday season!

Announcements from the National Network of Immunization Coalitions

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions reminds you of the important ways every coalition can plug into 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, new 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.