Network News – March 9, 2023
Webinar/Biennial Meeting
Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events
- Immunize Kansas Coalition launches “Honest Conversations” campaign to engage with Latino and Hispanic communities
- Virtual: Montgomery County Immunization Coalition hosts live event “Ask the Experts: Informational Series on Vaccines” on April 26
- In-person: Immunize Arkansas will host the “2023 HPV Summit” in Little Rock on May 5; CE available
- In-person: Immunize Colorado will host the “2023 Colorado Regional Immunization Summit” in Glenwood Springs on June 8
Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events
- Virtual: Association of Immunization Managers’ iREACH project hosts two webinars in March and launches REACHing for Vaccine Equity podcast
- Virtual: CHOP’s Current Issues in Vaccines for Providers webinar on March 15 features Paul Offit discussing the future of COVID-19 vaccines; CE available
- Virtual: Mark your calendar! NFID hosts “2023 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research” on June 5–7; registration to be made available in March; CE available.
- Virtual: American College Health Association offers third in five-part webinar series Facts or Fakes? Promoting Health Literacy Skills with Your Students; CE available
Resources
- Immunize.org’s new webinar, “Improving the Vaccination Experience: Reducing Pain and Anxiety for Children and Adults,” now available for on-demand viewing
- Vaccinate Your Family and Día de la Mujer Latina launch initiative to train and empower community health workers to increase vaccination rates in their communities
- Association of Immunization Managers shares season finale of AIMing to Inform podcast featuring Connecticut immunization leader Kathy Kudish
- Unity Consortium shares toolkits for Adolescent Immunization Action Week 2023 (#AIAW23), April 3–7
Coalitions in the News
Announcements
Webinar/Biennial Meeting
Register now! Watch Virulent: The Vaccine War documentary now through March 19. Join Immunize.org and the National Network of Immunization Coalitions for an interactive webinar discussion on March 20.
The documentary, Virulent: The Vaccine War, is an invitation to think again, exposing the myths and laying bare the facts about vaccine science, its history, and what it will take to eradicate the world’s most deadly diseases. Immunize.org invites you to watch the film online on your own time now through March 19.
Watch the trailer and register to view the film.
Following the viewing period, Immunize.org and the National Network of Immunization Coalitions will host “Virulent: The Vaccine War” live Q&A on March 20, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (ET). The webinar will feature Paul Offit, MD, Todd Wolynn, MD, Melody Butler, RN, Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, and the filmmakers for a live discussion/question and answer session about the documentary.
Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events
Immunize Kansas Coalition launches “Honest Conversations” campaign to engage with Latino and Hispanic communities
The Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC), through a grant with IDEO.org, piloted tools in the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) Honest Conversations Toolkit to amplify immunization stories from Kansans, particularly those in refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) communities. IKC engaged with Latino and Hispanic communities using tools in the Honest Conversations Playbooks to identify vaccinations with low vaccination rates and barriers to receiving them.
Read the full list of stories and watch the videos on the Honest Conversations web page. Additional content will continue to be added to the campaign and will be released soon.
Virtual: Montgomery County Immunization Coalition hosts live event “Ask the Experts: Informational Series on Vaccines” on April 26
The Montgomery County Immunization Coalition (MCIC), in partnership with Montgomery County, will host a live, virtual event, Ask the Experts: Informational Series on Vaccines, on April 26, 7:00–8:00 p.m. (ET). This event is the first in a series that will give the community direct access to local healthcare experts who can answer their vaccine questions. The event will occur during National Infant Immunization Week and will focus on childhood vaccinations.
Attendees can submit questions in advance or ask them live.
In-person: Immunize Arkansas will host the “2023 HPV Summit” in Little Rock on May 5; CE available
Immunize Arkansas is hosting its 2023 HPV Summit in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 5. This meeting will connect HPV and cancer, give providers tools to talk to patients about the benefits of the HPV vaccine, and share best practices to increase HPV immunization rates. The “2023 HPV Summit” has been approved for 5.75 hours of continuing education (CE) for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dental professionals, and certified health education specialists.
Early bird registration ends on March 31. There is an option to attend at a student/audit rate for anyone not needing CE. View the 2023 HPV Summit website for registration information.
In-person: Immunize Colorado will host the “2023 Colorado Regional Immunization Summit” in Glenwood Springs on June 8
Immunize Colorado will host its 2023 Colorado Regional Immunization Summit in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on June 8. The summit offers a chance to learn from world-renowned experts about current vaccine issues and strategies to increase vaccine delivery, education, and uptake. The summit will also include a screening of the film, Virulent: The Vaccine War, on the evening of June 7.
The full agenda and additional details will be made available on the 2023 Colorado Regional Immunization Summit website.
Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events
Virtual: Association of Immunization Managers’ iREACH project hosts two webinars in March and launches REACHing for Vaccine Equity podcast
The iREACH team at the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) will host a webinar titled Working with Faith-Based Communities to Increase Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination Rates: Part 2, at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on March 14, which will build upon the first iREACH faith-based webinar and will feature a moderated panel discussion with leaders representing a variety of faith communities. These faith leaders will share their experiences partnering with REACH projects to promote flu and COVID-19 vaccinations in their faith communities.
Additionally, the iREACH team at AIM hosts a one-hour monthly webinar series titled REACHing for Health Equity. This series of informative webinars will complement the upcoming iREACH 2023 podcast series, REACHing for Vaccine Equity, and will discuss the accomplishments and challenges of working in racial and ethnic minority communities to increase flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates and explore how these activities intersect with traditional REACH work on decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in chronic diseases and promoting healthy behaviors.
These webinars will take place every fourth Wednesday of the month at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and will feature a panel including a REACH recipient, an expert clinician, a patient advocate or a community-based organization/partner, and an iREACH subject matter expert. Each month the webinar will focus on a specific chronic disease topic.
The second webinar in the series, REACHing for Health Equity: Kidney Disease, will take place at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on March 22.
Finally, the iREACH team at AIM is launching a new limited-series of podcasts, REACHing for Vaccine Equity, in mid-March. This series of informative episodes discusses how individuals living with chronic health conditions can continue to thrive by getting vaccinated and adopting healthy behaviors. Each episode will provide examples of vaccine equity initiatives for specific health conditions and share tips for community leaders on reaching and supporting diverse communities to achieve health and vaccine equity.
Virtual: CHOP’s Current Issues in Vaccines for Providers webinar on March 15 features Paul Offit discussing the future of COVID-19 vaccines; CE available
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) will present a 1-hour webinar titled The Future of COVID-19 Vaccines beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on March 15. 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.
Virtual: Mark your calendar! NFID hosts “2023 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research” on June 5–7; registration to be made available in March; CE available.
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) will host the 2023 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research (ACVR) on June 5–7. Learn and network with hundreds of researchers and healthcare professionals from around the world. The conference will feature informative presentations with interactive audience discussions, peer-reviewed oral and poster abstracts, and an inspiring session spotlighting women leaders in vaccinology.
Registration will open in March 2023, so check the ACVR website for updates and additional information.
The deadline to submit an abstract is March 28, 2023.
There is a $300 fee to attend. NFID will offer CME for the live activity.
Registration will be made available on the 2023 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research website in March.
Virtual: American College Health Association offers third in five-part webinar series Facts or Fakes? Promoting Health Literacy Skills with Your Students; CE available
The American College Health Association (ACHA) is offering a free, five-part webinar series, Facts or Fakes? Promoting Health Literacy Skills with Your Students. This five-part webinar series will provide tools for campus personnel in all disciplines to use when working with students to help them navigate misinformation, disinformation, and the infodemic. Webinars include:
- January 10 – “Health Literacy 101” (available on-demand)
- February 21 – “Digital Wellbeing and Mental Health: Helping Me Is Helping We” (available on-demand)
- March 7 – “Debunking Fake News” (available on-demand)
- April 18 – “Confronting Misinformation in Our Circles of Influence”
- May 9 – “Managing the Infodemic: Getting Started”
Each session airs 12:00–1:00 p.m. (ET). Up to 5 hours of credit are available for CNE, CME, and CHES, and 1.0 CE is available for counselors specifically for session 2.
Register for the free webinars. Registration for the series will allow you access to all five sessions, both the live webinars and the on-demand recordings.
Resources
Immunize.org’s new webinar, “Improving the Vaccination Experience: Reducing Pain and Anxiety for Children and Adults,” now available for on-demand viewing
On February 28, Immunize.org and Canadian experts from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, and Society for Infodemic Management, Québec, hosted a 1-hour webinar, Improving the Vaccination Experience: Reducing Pain and Anxiety for Children and Adults. During this webinar, participants learned more about the principles behind vaccination pain and anxiety and simple, evidence-based strategies to reduce apprehension. These strategies were developed by the experts from HELP Eliminate Pain in Kids and Adults. Their work was used by the World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Canada, and others to develop guidelines for reducing vaccination pain.
The video of the webinar is now available on the Immunize.org website for on-demand viewing. Please view and share this important webinar with your colleagues.
Related Link
- Immunize.org: Improving the Vaccination Experience: Accessible Vaccination for Neurodiverse People at Any Age (video of the webinar held on 12/13/22)
Vaccinate Your Family and Día de la Mujer Latina launch initiative to train and empower community health workers to increase vaccination rates in their communities
Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) and Día de la Mujer Latina launched Vaccination Community Navigator Training for Community Health, a comprehensive training program for community health workers (CHWs) and Promotores de Salud who want to build their communities’ confidence in and access to vaccines.
The training program consists of free, self-guided online courses, an online community, and monthly opportunities to connect virtually. The training and virtual community are available in English and Spanish, and meetings have live interpretation for Spanish speakers.
View the program information in English and Spanish.
Enroll in the 4-part training.
Association of Immunization Managers shares season finale of AIMing to Inform podcast featuring Connecticut immunization leader Kathy Kudish
The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) posted a new episode on its podcast, AIMing to Inform, on February 15. In the season finale, hear from Immediate Past AIM Chair and Connecticut Immunization Program Manager Kathy Kudish about the keys to managing a successful immunization program through a pandemic and beyond. Kathy also discusses how she juggles her double duties as a Public Health Veterinarian, leads dynamic teams, and manages burnout.
This is the last episode of the first season of AIMing to Inform.
Listen to the podcast on the AIMing to Inform web page, and like, subscribe, and review it on Apple or Spotify.
Unity Consortium shares toolkits for Adolescent Immunization Action Week 2023 (#AIAW23), April 3–7
The Unity Consortium (Unity) shared its new Adolescent Immunization Action Week (#AIAW23) partner comprehensive toolkits—turnkey resources for use with your constituents and members. The toolkits include videos, social media posts, newsletter inserts, and more.
Join Unity in urging parents, adolescents, and healthcare professionals to keep adolescents up to date on recommended immunizations this spring. Integrate AIAW23 into your social media calendar, newsletters, and emails.
Find the parent and healthcare provider toolkits on the 2023 Unity Partner Toolkits website. The password is unity (all lowercase).
Unity launched this initiative to bring attention to the importance of adolescent immunization and to urge healthcare providers and parents to get adolescents up to date on recommended vaccines.
Contact unity@unity4teenvax.org for a meeting invitation or to discuss your participation in AIAW23. Please consider sponsoring webinars and events, and including AIAW23 in your communication plans leading up to and during April 3–7.
Coalitions in the News
These recent articles feature coalition activities and other stories of interest
- Medscape: AAP Approves 2023 Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule (2/9/23)
- SciTechDaily: COVID-19 Vaccination Linked to Fewer Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Other Cardiovascular Issues (2/26/23)
- Medpage Today: Could Earlier Initiation of HPV Vaccine Boost Immunization in Adolescents? (2/27/23)
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 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.