Network News — May 14, 2026

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

In the News

Announcements

Coalition News, Top Stories, and Events

The National Network of Immunization Coalitions highlights Immunize Minnesota

Immunize Minnesota just had its soft launch at the Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA) Annual Conference and the Minnesota Department of Health Immunization conference in April 2026. Collectively, these two-day conferences drew audiences of over 400 public health practitioners and health professionals from across the state. The coalition is working toward a full coalition launch in August, to coincide with Immunization Awareness Month.

Immunize Minnesota resides in the home state of the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), which became Immunize.org, and benefits greatly from the legacy of IAC’s founder, Deborah Wexler, and the leadership of Voices for Vaccines’ founder, Karen Ernst. Immunize Minnesota is the first new statewide coalition to use the Voices for Vaccines’ Statewide Coalition Best Practices Toolkit to build the new coalition.

The coalition’s foundation began a year and a half ago, with a steadily growing group of MPHA members and interested partners, to discuss collaborative actions to increase vaccine confidence in Minnesota. The audience is cross-sector immunization champions, including public health workers, clinical providers, and others, representing different regions of the state. It continues to put its governance structure in place to enable timely decision-making and action.

 
Annie Halland, Immunize Minnesota coalition lead, tabling at the Minnesota Department of Health’s Immunization Conference 2026 “Trust in Every Dose: Rebuilding Confidence, Strengthening Communities”, April 20–21, 2026.

Immunize Minnesota intends to operate as a “program of” MPHA for the near term. It is now engaging with the professional community through a soft launch at two statewide Minnesota conferences. The coalition gave away 100 postcards and engaged attendees in an exercise to brainstorm approaches to reaching communities with low vaccine confidence and improving vaccine confidence in Minnesota overall. Next, the coalition intends to begin public messaging by writing Op-Eds to address the chaos and confusion caused by the federal administration and to underscore the steady leadership of the state health department and national professional organizations.

The coalition’s policy work currently resides within the Minnesota Public Health Association Policy & Advocacy committee. Under this MPHA umbrella, it has recently sent letters of introduction to state legislative leaders of key health committees.

Minnesota has seen declining vaccine uptake in recent years, leading to increased cases of measles, pertussis, and varicella. It is clear that trust in vaccines and the institutions that support them is waning and uneven among Minnesota communities. The moment calls for cultural humility and community partnership to address the root causes of declining vaccine confidence and counter harmful narratives that impact public policy and vaccine uptake. To realize its full potential, Immunize Minnesota is seeking resources to develop concrete tools for provider and community audiences, and opportunities to engage in advocacy.

The coalition is working to improve immunization rates and vaccine confidence for all Minnesotans through community organizing, education, and statewide partnerships.

For more on Immunize Minnesota, visit www.immunizemn.org.

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Louisiana Families for Vaccines hosted its 5th annual “Day of Action for Vaccines” on April 21

On April 21, Louisiana Families for Vaccines (LAFV) hosted their 5th annual Day of Action for Vaccines at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Partnering with 48 diverse community organizations from across the state, advocates came together to stand up for fact-based public policy and to promote immunizations for healthy kids and communities.

Advocates, from physicians, nurses, public health experts, and social workers to grandparents, parents, students, and disease survivors joined together to protect access to life-saving vaccines. In addition, 10 coalition partner organizations demonstrated their solidarity in the Capitol rotunda.

LAFV celebrated hard-fought wins, while also highlighting important work still needing to be done this legislative session. Across party lines, last week the Louisiana House Education Committee voted no on HB 737, which sought to remove the meningococcal meningitis vaccine requirement for school entry. This would have left children vulnerable to this fast-moving, deadly disease at a time when they are most at risk. Jamie Schanbaum, a meningitis survivor, joined LAFV at the Capitol to share her life-altering story of limb loss and thank lawmakers for fighting to protect our children from preventable diseases like meningitis.

Louisiana advocates submitted floor cards to urge lawmakers to oppose legislation still pending in committees and floor votes, including HB 1041, a “medical freedom” bill being heard on the House floor that week, which would create confusion about school vaccine rules that have long helped keep kids safe. Furthermore, attendees urged house members to oppose SB 29, which crossed over to the House Health & Welfare Committee, and seeks to create a false equivalency between vaccine administration and sudden childhood death.

Finally, Louisiana Families for Vaccines shared results from a recent April 2026 poll reflecting strong bipartisan support for maintaining school vaccine requirements. Across party lines, 80% of Louisianans desire to protect kids and communities with robust school vaccine requirements, while two-thirds of voters would not support a lawmaker seeking to remove vaccine requirements.

The broad, bipartisan support reaffirms Louisiana as a pro-vaccine majority state. As anti-vaccine state-level policies continue to threaten the health and well-being of Louisiana children and families, LAFV’s successful advocacy day continues to demonstrate a strong grassroots effort dedicated to standing up to fight for a society free from vaccine-preventable disease.

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Immunize Maryland shares free Mobile Health Provider Network and Mobile Clinic Finder for providers

Immunize Maryland is excited to share a platform it has used for nearly ten years to expand access and equality, the free Mobile Health Provider Network (MHPN) and Mobile Clinic Finder (MCF), sponsored by Maryland Partnership for Prevention, Inc. The site is open to all community and mobile health providers across all health services.

These tools strengthen and scale community-based and mobile care by making it easier to coordinate, deliver, and access health services. The tools allow providers:

Increased visibility and connectivity:

  • Post clinics for free
  • Connect and exchange insights with other providers across the network
  • Track clinic activity, services, and generate reports to support operations and funding

To post, track, and report on services delivered

  • A dedicated, branded site to showcase clinic events
  • Make it easier for communities to find and access health services
  • Increase visibility, utilization, and impact of mobile and community-based programs

Together, MHPN and MCF can serve as the infrastructure layer for community-based care delivery, helping providers reach more people, operate more efficiently, and demonstrate provider impact.

Register Today.

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Immunize Kansas Coalition launches its hepatitis B birth dose campaign during Hepatitis Awareness Month

Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC), in collaboration with the Kansas Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics (KAAP), and the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA), launched a new campaign in recognition of Hepatitis B Awareness Month. This campaign is designed for parents and caregivers, the toolkit includes graphics and messaging that emphasize the importance of the HepB vaccine at birth

When babies receive the HepB vaccine at birth, they are protected during their most vulnerable time, especially since many people, including caregivers and family members, may not know they have hepatitis B. Since the universal recommendation for the HepB vaccine at birth began in 1991 in the United States, hepatitis B infections in children have dropped by 99%, reinforcing the importance of vaccination at birth.

The campaign is a valuable resource for healthcare providers, public health professionals, and coalition partners to support outreach on the benefits of the hepatitis B birth dose.

Spanish messaging and graphics will be available soon.

 

View the campaign toolkit.

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Indiana Immunize Coalition hosts webinar titled "Pediatric Vaccine Conversations: Addressing Common Concerns" on June 23 at 3:00 p.m. (ET)

The Indiana Immunize Coalition will host a webinar titled Pediatric Vaccine Conversations: Addressing Common Concerns at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on June 23. During the webinar, presenter Tracie Newman, MD, MPH, associate professor of practice at North Dakota State University, will discuss ways to address concerns that typically arise in these situations.

Register for the webinar.

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Other News, Educational Opportunities, and Events

CDC restores official U.S. immunization schedules to July 2, 2025, versions to comply with March 16 court order

In compliance with the March 16 federal court ruling in American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy, CDC restored its official child and adolescent immunization schedule and its official adult immunization schedule to the July 2, 2025, versions. These versions reflect the decisions of the ACIP through its April 2025 meeting, before the replacement of those 17 members with new members in June 2025. The appointments of the new members and their subsequent decisions were stayed by the court.

For more information, see the Common Health Coalition’s 2-page summary of the AAP v. Kennedy Ruling and what it means for clinicians and families.

With the July 2025 schedules restored, routine ACIP recommendations are once again in effect for hepatitis A, hepatitis B (including routine birth dose), influenza, meningococcal ACWY, and rotavirus vaccines, as well as routine 2- or 3-dose HPV vaccination (depending on age at initiation). Once again, MMRV is an option on the schedule for children younger than age 4 years when preferred by parents, including VFC-eligible children.

CDC also changed its Vaccines for Children program (VFC) web pages to reflect the return to the 2025 schedule.

Clesrovimab (Enflonsia, Merck) was licensed by FDA for use as an option for RSV prevention in infants during their first RSV season in June 2025, too late to be included on the July 2 version of the 2025 schedule; however, there is no barrier to continuing its use for commercially insured or VFC-eligible infants. CDC’s VFC resolution was updated on April 20, 2026, to include clesrovimab in addition to nirsevimab (Beyfortus, Sanofi) for age-eligible infants during their first RSV season.

Readers will note that COVID-19 vaccination remains based on shared clinical decision making (SCDM) for all ages, reflecting the May 2025 HHS Secretarial Directive.

CDC indicated to its partners that it will not issue a formal communication about these changes. Immunize.org encourages clinicians, immunization program partners, and professional societies to share this information broadly and to confirm that vaccination schedules, VFC ordering guidance, patient education materials, and electronic health record prompts reflect the restored July 2, 2025, recommendations.

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NFID invites abstract submissions for its 2026 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) will once again host the 2026 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research (ACVR) this June 15–17, as a complimentary online event. This conference reaches hundreds of professionals around the world and facilitates the exchange of ideas across a broad range of disciplines, addressing challenges and breakthroughs in vaccinology.

NFID has opened its call for abstracts for the ACVR; they are reviewed on a rolling basis now through May 22. The conference brings together diverse disciplines involved in vaccine research, development, implementation, and real-world evaluation, and welcomes submissions from early-career researchers and seasoned scientists alike.

Abstracts will be considered for rapid-fire oral presentations during a scheduled oral abstract session. NFID is accepting submissions on topics:

  • Combating antimicrobial resistance
  • Implementation challenges and solutions
  • Innovation in immunization
  • Protecting high-risk populations
  • Immunization disparities and health equity
  • Vaccines against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

Submit an abstract.

Registration is also open now for anyone who wishes to attend at www.nfid.org/acvr.

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Today! Virtual: Register for Immunize​.org Website Office Hours. Join a 30-minute discussion about its News & Updates web content on May 14 at 12:00 p.m. (ET). Recorded sessions archived.

To learn simple tips and tricks for using the Immunize​.org websites efficiently, please register for its next Website Office Hours on Thursday, May 14, at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

Immunize​.org will open the 30-minute session with a short, live demonstration on navigating its News & Updates website section. You can submit questions when you register or live on Zoom during the session.

Register today for Immunize​.org Website Office Hours today, Thursday, May 14, at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

The archive of previous Website Office Hours content is posted at Immunize​.org’s “Webinars & Videos” page.

Mark your calendar for future Immunize​.org Website Office Hours.

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Virtual: Voices for Vaccines shares a five-part Vaccine Advocates training series; the next training “From Volunteer to Leader: Growing Your Advocacy Role” is May 18 at 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Voices for Vaccines (VFV) will host a vaccine advocate training, From Volunteer to Leader: Growing Your Advocacy Role, at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on May 18. This training is part of VFV’s 5-part Vaccine Advocates series, which equips participants with actionable tools and best practices in vaccine advocacy.

Participants who attend all 5 training sessions in the series will become Super Vax Advocates, gaining access to exclusive workshops and resources to combat misinformation.

Register for the training.

Related Links

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Virtual: Voices for Vaccines hosts webinar titled "Tracking MAHA" on May 28 at 1:00 p.m. (ET)

Voices for Vaccines (VFV) will host a webinar titled Tracking MAHA at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on May 28. The webinar will feature Devin Burghart, president and executive director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to tracking emerging threats to democracy and human rights.

Register for the webinar.

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Virtual: Midwest Immunization Consortium shares webinar “20 Years of HPV Protection, Prevention, and Progress: Celebrating Policies and Practices Implemented Throughout the Heartland” on June 1 at 1:00 p.m. (ET)

Midwest Immunization Consortium shares webinar 20 Years of HPV Protection, Prevention, and Progress: Celebrating Policies and Practices Implemented Throughout the Heartland at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on June 1.

June 2006 marked a turning point in cancer prevention with the licensure of the first HPV vaccine. This webinar reflects on two decades of collaboration, innovation, and measurable progress across the Midwest, examining the coordinated policies, evidence-based practices, and community partnerships that have advanced HPV prevention throughout the region.

The session is designed for immunization coalitions, cancer consortiums, healthcare providers, health departments, advocacy organizations, and public health professionals. Attendees can expect a look back at what’s been accomplished, a look ahead at what’s still possible, and a shared vision for a future in which HPV-related cancers are preventable for everyone.

Register for the webinar.

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Virtual: Learn about the SAVRR Council at its first public meeting on June 9 at 2:00 p.m. (ET)

The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS), “The Summit,” Adult Vaccination Recommendations Review (SAVRR) Council will host SAVRR Council Public Meeting at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on June 9. Join the first public meeting of the SAVRR Council, where we will introduce the Council, its purpose, and the procedures that guide its work. This session will provide an opportunity to meet Council members and gain insight into how recommendations are developed to support immunization practice. The meeting will also present the Council’s first recommendation, focused on supporting providers with the implementation of fall respiratory season vaccination recommendations. We will conclude with a look ahead at plans for future open meetings and opportunities for ongoing engagement.

The SAVRR Council is an independent, industry-free body that reviews adult immunization recommendations from ACIP and professional medical societies. Free from vaccine manufacturer funding and influence, the Council brings together representatives from a broad range of vaccination stakeholders to provide feedback to recommending bodies, identify clinical implementation challenges, and work toward consistent guidance across organizations. When multiple recommendations exist for the same vaccine and population, Council members may weigh in on preferred approaches. Immunize​.org provides administrative support and serves as the Council’s fiscal agent.

Register for the meeting.

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Virtual: Genesee County and Oakland County Health Departments in Michigan share a four-part HPV vaccination webinar series to celebrate 20 years of HPV prevention

Michigan’s Genesee County Health Department and Oakland County Health Department will host a four-part webinar series to celebrate 20 years of HPV protection, prevention, and progress. Each webinar will be from 12:00–12:30 p.m. (ET) and will be recorded. Webinars include:

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In the News

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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 into the power of our network:

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