Network News — July 25, 2024

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

Resources

Funding Opportunities

In the News

Announcements

Webinar/Biennial Meeting

Register now! Virtual: National Network of Immunization Coalitions hosts webinar “Find Your Restorative Edge—The 7 Types of Rest” on August 27 at 1:00 p.m. (ET).

Registration is now open for the National Network of Immunization Coalitions webinar titled Find Your Restorative Edge—The 7 Types of Rest at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on August 27. During the webinar, participants will learn how to keep energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving amid never-ending family demands, career pressures, daily stress, and changes. Based on the research in her #1 rated TED talk and book, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD, shares the real reason why so many people are tired all the time. Her seven types of rest are discussed, including ways to determine which type of restorative activities you need most and how to get more of each. This practical approach incorporates restorative activities in the middle of your busy day without waiting for the next sabbatical or vacation. When you are equipped with a restorative edge strategy, you will experience improved energy levels throughout the day which help sustain your creativity, mental clarity, and overall productivity. Discover the restorative power of setting healthy boundaries, adopting effective time management strategies, and embracing self-compassion to foster sustainable vitality.

Register for the webinar.

Back to Top

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions highlights Iowa Immunizes

Iowa Immunizes is a coalition of individuals and organizations committed to protecting the health of Iowans through the vaccination of children and adults. The coalition is a project of Iowa’s statewide public health association, Iowa Public Health Association.

The coalition has a strong partnership with the Iowa College of Public Health. Together, they formed the Iowa Immunization Research Network, a group of individuals and organizations who are passionate about vaccinations and work to connect researchers and community partners. The network’s goal is to conduct research, support evidence-informed strategies to increase vaccination rates, and create a center for immunization research.

Iowa Immunizes engages with the community through various digital media campaigns and sponsoring various community events. Recent events include:

  • Capital City PrideFest
  • Juneteenth
  • Rainbow Families Skate Night and LGBTQ Prom

In 2023, Iowa Immunizes staffed resource tables at ten professional conferences and 19 community events in eight cities, with a total of 79 volunteers.

   

Iowa Immunizes is not a 501(c)(3) and does not have its own lobbyist. However, it partners with Iowa Public Health Association to host a “Day on the Hill” yearly. The coalition also hosts a yearly legislative briefing with immunization updates. The lobbyists and government relations staff from partner organizations participate in the Iowa Immunizes Policy & Advocacy Committee. This committee shares items of interest, requests common talking points, and works together to educate policymakers.

The coalition’s first Iowa Immunization Summit will be held on September 9 in Ankeny, IA.

Find Iowa Immunizes on social media:

Check out the Iowa Immunizes website for more.

Back to Top

Indiana Immunization Coalition offers customizable social media graphics in both English and Spanish

The Indiana Immunization Coalition is offering customizable social media graphics for various vaccine-preventable diseases and general vaccination information, including two images in Spanish.

The images can be edited to add an organization logo or change the colors. For questions or assistance, email sarad@vaccinateindiana.org.

Back to Top

Immunize Colorado launches redesigned website, ImmunizeForGood.com, and its Spanish-language counterpart, VacunalosPorSuBien.com

Immunize Colorado launched a redesigned and updated website, ImmunizeForGood.com, and its Spanish-language counterpart, VacunalosPorSuBien.com. The Immunize for Good campaign was launched in 2011, a joint project of Immunize Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The campaign aims to help parents and caregivers learn facts about immunization and feel informed and confident about the decision to vaccinate their children.

The revamped campaign websites feature current, expert-reviewed information on various topics, including vaccine-preventable diseases, the vaccine schedule, how vaccines work, and where to find vaccines.

To promote the campaign, Immunize Colorado offers Immunize For Good postcards, which can be ordered free of charge on its website. These can be handed out to families at events or vaccination clinics.

Order postcards in English and Spanish.

Back to Top

WithinReach, in partnership with Cardea and the Washington State Department of Health, announces the launch of an updated continuing education course, “Vaccine Training for Medical Assistants”

WithinReach, in partnership with Cardea and the Washington State Department of Health, launched an updated continuing education course, Vaccine Training for Medical Assistants. This free, one-hour e-course is designed for entry-level medical assistants. Participants will learn about best practices for vaccinations, including storage and handling, locating vaccine schedules, rights of administration, and guidance on how to administer vaccines properly to various populations.

CE credit is available upon completion of the training through July 8, 2025. The first 50 medical assistants from Washington state completing the e-course will be mailed a free 2024 CDC Adult Immunization laminated schedule and Vaccines Save Lives pin.

View the flyer for more information.

Register for the course.

Back to Top

Immunize Kansas Coalition celebrates key accomplishments in its annual report

Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) is celebrating key accomplishments and metrics throughout the past fiscal year, July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024, in its 2023–24 Annual Report. These achievements were made possible through the combined efforts of its immunization community. It also acknowledges the significant partnerships, sponsors, and grant funders, both in Kansas and nationwide, who have supported its mission throughout the year.

The report outlines various outreach efforts, including statewide local in-person events and digital and print campaigns. Featured efforts also include collaborations with national partners such as Vaccinate Your Family through the Vaccination Community Navigator Trainings, and their continued learning and participation through nationwide conferences, such as the National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships (NCICP).

The report also includes personal testimonies that highlight the importance of IKC’s mission to protect all Kansans from vaccine-preventable diseases.

With national and community contributions, the coalition continues to strengthen vaccine confidence and immunization rates through education, awareness, and collaborative partnerships. IKC looks forward to continued work with peer coalitions across the country in the year ahead.

Back to Top

Virtual: Montgomery County Immunization Coalition hosts webinar, “Ask the Experts: Fall and Winter Vaccines,” on August 21 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) in English and August 28 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) in Spanish

The Montgomery County Immunization Coalition (MCIC) will host a webinar during National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) on fall and winter vaccines as part of their Ask the Experts webinar series at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on August 21. A Spanish version of the webinar will follow at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on August 28. During the webinar, healthcare experts will answer participants’ questions on fall and winter vaccines.

Register for the webinar in English and in Spanish.

Back to Top

In-person: Indiana Immunization Coalition will host the inaugural “National HPV Conference” from April 15–17, 2025, in Indianapolis; abstracts are due September 15

The Indiana Immunization Coalition (Vaccinate Indiana) is hosting its Inaugural National HPV Conference in Indianapolis on April 15–17, 2025. The goal of this inaugural conference is to invite all U.S. professionals working in the HPV space to come together to learn and share. While many conferences strive to include HPV as one of many topics, this conference seeks to make HPV the main topic. Attendees will enjoy learning and connecting with peers while forming new ideas and partnerships to strengthen their HPV-related efforts.

Abstracts are being accepted; the deadline for submissions is September 15 at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

View the conference website for more information and to submit an abstract.

Back to Top

In-person: Registration open for CDC’s 49th National Immunization Conference on August 12–14 in Atlanta; CE credit offered

CDC will host the National Immunization Conference 2024 on August 12–14 in Atlanta, GA. The Agenda at a Glance is now available. Program content will cover science, policy, education, and implementation issues related to immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases.

Register for the conference now. The general attendee fee is $685. CE will be offered.

If you attend, be sure to find the team at Immunize​.org’s exhibit booth and say hello!

See CDC’s National Immunization Conference 2024 website for more information.

Back to Top

Resources

Vaccinate Your Family launches back-to-school immunization awareness campaign; spread the word using their FirstDayVax toolkit in English and Spanish

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) launched its #FirstDayVax Back to School campaign to promote the importance of back-to-school immunizations. For students from elementary school to college, vaccinations are a critical step in keeping students, schools, and communities healthy. Find the sharable assets in the #FirstDayVax Toolkit, also available in Spanish.

Use the #FirstDayVax hashtag on social media and tag @vaccinateyourfamily (@vaxyourfam on X) so VYF can amplify your posts.

Back to Top

Voices for Vaccines shares its latest online course on “Becoming Trusted Messengers”

Voices for Vaccines (VFV) is offering Becoming Trusted Messengers, a free online course intended for anyone, including people who are not healthcare professionals, interested in supporting vaccine confidence in their community. This course offers an easy, evidence-based method of handling vaccine hesitancy online or in person.

Participants will learn how to:

  • Build trust authentically
  • Assess what is really causing concern
  • Get buy-in to reconsider vaccine fears
  • Start and keep an open line of communication
  • Build vaccine confidence in your personal network

Enroll in the course.

Back to Top

The Public Health Foundation and CDC post a toolkit for education professionals on how schools can support vaccination catch-up

The Public Health Foundation, in collaboration with CDC, now offers a toolkit for education professionals to support routine vaccination catch-up. This is part of a series of toolkits being developed for CDC’s broader Let’s RISE (Routine Immunizations on Schedule for Everyone) campaign. This toolkit is designed for superintendents, school administrators, school nurses, and all school health staff. It contains evidence-based strategies, tools, and resources from a wide range of partners.

View the toolkit.

Back to Top

American Pharmacists Association shares conversation guides for COVID-19 vaccination as part of its “Vaccine Confident” project

The American Pharmacists Association launched APhA Vaccine Confident Playbook, a conversation guide for COVID-19 vaccination, as part of its Vaccine Confident project. This user-friendly, action-oriented resource is designed to enhance pharmacist-patient conversations regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Each “topic brief” addresses the vaccine hesitancy issues most likely to be encountered by pharmacists. This approach will engage each person on an individual level to address any concerns and counter misunderstandings.

View the conversation guide.

Back to Top

North Dakota State University Center for Immunization Research and Education offers free training module to boost clinicians’ confidence in addressing vaccine hesitancy; CE credit available

North Dakota State University Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE) created a free, four-part online video training module, Motivational Interviewing for Vaccine Hesitancy, designed to boost clinicians’ confidence in addressing vaccine hesitancy in medical encounters. Viewers will be introduced to several communication strategies rooted in motivational interviewing and will develop the ability to confidently address and resolve patient concerns regarding vaccinations through effective communication and evidence-based information.

Following the training, participants are eligible for CME credit.

View the training module.

Back to Top

Disability Vaccine Access Opportunities Center Resource Hub toolkit provides resources to further vaccination access and uptake for people with disabilities

The Disability Vaccine Access Opportunities Center Resource Hub offers its Toolkit: Disability Vaccine Access Opportunities Center, which contains resources to further vaccination access and uptake for people with disabilities. It also presents a guide for providing critical services to people with disabilities before, during, and after public health emergencies. Resources include videos, presentations, factsheets, social media content, and an organizational capacity guide for disability-led centers for independent living.

Many materials are available in English and Spanish.

View the toolkit.

Back to Top

Funding Opportunities

Available funding opportunities may be found on the Partnering for Vaccine Equity Resource Hub

Partnering for Vaccine Equity’s Funding Opportunities main page offers a list of open funding opportunities related to vaccination and health equity.

Please reach out to PHEbranch@cdc.gov if your organization has a funding opportunity to add to the list.

See the funding opportunities.

Back to Top

In the News

Back to Top

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.
Back to Top
Back To Top