• Coronavirus Virus

    Medicare D Cost Sharing Reduces Vaccine Uptake and Perpetuates Health Inequities

    Cost sharing under Medicare Part D can be a large deterrent for beneficiaries to get vaccinated, resulting in worsened health outcomes that continue to perpetuate and exacerbate existing health inequities. Read more about this issue and how Congress can act to address it in this piece written by Josh Adler and Steven Calderbank of IQVIA.

    Blogs Eliminating Disparities
  • Opinion: Federal policies needed to encourage and increase immunization for seniors

    Learn about the importance of boosting immunization rates among seniors and about how passing legislation like the Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act will help boost immunization rates for seniors against preventable diseases from Deborah Miller, executive director for the Charitable Healthcare Network.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • AVAC Spotlight: Dr. Morgan F. McDonald, Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health

    Dr. Morgan. F. McDonald, MD, FACP, FAAP, is Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians who has worked closely with maternal vaccinations. Through her work, she has gained robust knowledge about the benefits of vaccinations and the barriers to getting people, particularly mothers, vaccinated.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • It’s Time to Start Catching Up on All Vaccinations, Not Just COVID

    While it’s important to get everyone who is able to vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, it is equally important to ensure that everyone is getting vaccinated against other vaccine-preventable illnesses. Read why from Executive Director of Vaccinate Your Family Amy Pisani.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • AVAC Spotlight: Dr. Betty J. Braxter, Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Nursing Program at the University of Pittsburgh

    Dr. Betty Braxter is an Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Nursing Program and Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing who wants to make sure mothers, particularly those of color, are getting the necessary protections from preventable maternal complications through vaccinations.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • Doctor or nurse gives flu vaccine to patient at clinic.

    Developing the 2020 National Vaccine Plan

    A comprehensive 2020 Vaccines National Strategic Plan (VNSP) is more important now than ever before. As our nation prepares for upcoming COVID-19 vaccines, we know that issues of equitable distribution and access for all–particularly for the populations most at risk– are critical in determining the pace and success of the nation’s recovery. Allocation, distribution, access, and utilization of the COVID-19 vaccine will likely be the greatest public health effort of our generation. And while this effort will present significant challenges, it also brings a new opportunity to expand the strength of existing immunization program infrastructure in the United States.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • Coronavirus Virus

    COVID-19 Vaccine Success Depends on Equitable Distribution for All

    The nation is about to overcome a major hurdle in the battle against COVID-19: development of an effective vaccine. The next essential step is ensuring that those who need the vaccine most can access and afford it. AVAC is committed to the equitable allocation, distribution, access, and utilization of a future COVID-19 vaccine.

    Blogs COVID-19 Response
  • There is Not Only One Meningitis Vaccine – Two Mothers’ Stories

    We thought our daughters were protected. In both of our cases, when the doctors told us our daughters had meningitis, we thought – “that can’t be. Our daughters were vaccinated against meningitis.” What we didn’t know, and what so many children and parents still don’t know today, is that there are two types of meningitis vaccines needed to be fully vaccinated against meningococcal disease—MenACWY and MenB.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • Coronavirus Virus

    Immunizing in a COVID-19 Environment: Best Practices

    AVAC hosted the second briefing in a series on “Immunizing in a COVID-19 Environment.” The briefing featured a discussion on best practices for immunizing in the adult population, ways to vaccinate safely during an emergency pandemic, and legislative steps that can be taken now to prepare for the upcoming flu season and future COVID-19 vaccine.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • AVAC Spotlight: Dr. Ruth Carrico, University of Louisville’s School of Medicine

    At AVAC’s June briefing, Dr. Ruth Carrico, an infectious disease professor and nurse practitioner from the University of Louisville’s School of Medicine, shared her long-standing success with drive-through influenza vaccination programs, and how they can be replicated in a COVID-19 environment to increase immunization rates.

    Blogs Benefits of Immunization
  • AVAC Spotlight: Laura Morris, MD – University of Missouri

    During AVAC’s June briefing on immunizing in a COVID-19 environment, Dr. Laura Morris explained how she counsels patients on immunization by basing her advice on science and making clear and strong recommendations.

    Blogs COVID-19 Response
  • AVAC Spotlight: Laura Lee Hall, PhD, Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SHC)

    Dr. Laura Lee Hall, President of the Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity (SHC) at the National Minority Quality Forum, spoke at AVAC’s June briefing about the importance of targeting resources to communities of color in order to increase flu immunization rates. particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Blogs COVID-19 Response