• AVAC Spotlight: Dr. Kelly Moore and the TN Immunization Program

    Dr. Kelly Moore serves as the director of the Tennessee Immunization Program (TIP) at the state’s Department of Health where she and her team are responsible for the state’s federally-funded immunization services, including the Vaccines for Children Program, the state immunization registry (“TennIIS”), and vaccine-preventable disease surveillance and outbreak response.

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  • AVAC Spotlight: Utilizing Standing Orders to Generate System Change

    Ochsner created a System Vaccine Subcommittee to increase immunizations for their patients. The team worked to implement written order guidelines, also known as standing orders, which are approved by a physician or other authorized practitioner that allow qualified health care professionals eligible under state law (such as registered nurses or pharmacists) to assess the need for and administer vaccines to patients meeting certain criteria, such as age or underlying medical condition.

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  • Creative Solutions Addressing Vaccine Disparities

    Annie Fedorowicz, the Adolescent and Adult Immunization Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), is trying to change that by getting to the root causes of vaccine disparities in her state. As Fedorowicz explains, programming can’t be targeted without knowing the underlying issues. 

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  • AVAC Spotlight: Recognizing Innovation

    Every May, the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) brings together stakeholders from across the country to Atlanta to celebrate the achievements of individuals and organizations that have set out to improve access to adult immunization. Adult immunization rates in the United States are far too low, resulting in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths. Despite these challenges, Mitchel C. Rothholz—chief strategy officer of the American Pharmacists Association and chair of the NAIIS Awards Committee—makes the case that the individuals involved in this area deserve recognition for the passion and strong convictions they bring to landmark immunization efforts.

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  • The Essential Role of Public Health in Immunization

    August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NAIM), an annual observance to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages.  Immunizations are a highly cost-effective form of preventive medicine that protect health and save lives.  The public health system that plays such an important role in making sure people receive their recommended immunizations must be supported.

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  • Senior woman receiving flu vaccine

    Making Vaccine-Preventable Diseases History

    Polio. Smallpox. Rubella. Diphtheria. For the vast majority of Americans living today, the closest we’ve ever come into contact with those diseases is when we bring up their respective Wikipedia pages. And yet as recently as the mid-20th century, they were still quite common. What’s changed between then and now? Simple: vaccines.

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  • 2016: Start Making a Difference. 2017: Take it to the Next Level.

    It’s been just over a year since the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition (AVAC) launched on Capitol Hill to raise awareness, improve access, and increase utilization of vaccines among adults. Vaccines protect us from a variety of common diseases that can be serious and even deadly. Here’s a snapshot of our activities over the past year

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    Quality over quantity: making the case for vaccines

    Michael Hodin, Ph.D and William Schaffner, M.D.discuss the importance of prioritizing quality of care over quantity of care in op-ed published by The Hill.

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  • A retired senior couple support family by babysitting. Three young children sit on their grandparents' laps. The group is reading a book together.

    AVAC Celebrates Older Americans Month

    High out of pocket cost is a contributing factor that often directly influences a Medicare beneficiary’s decision of whether or not to get vaccinated.  Our new infographic illustrates this connection—when seniors have to pay for a specific vaccine, immunization rates for that particular condition are often much lower compared to vaccines that they can receive for free.

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  • AVAC and The Next Frontier for Immunizations

    “In a world of massive information overload, we have to be loud and insistent with our vaccination message. Nowhere is that more true than in Washington, DC.” –  Mike Popovich CEO, Scientific Technologies Corporation

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  • Every American Should Have Access to Life-Saving Vaccines

    April 2016 is National Minority Health Month and this week marks World Immunization Week.  This year’s theme for Minority Health month is “Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation.”  Our nation has made important progress in recent years toward increasing immunization rates among all Americans, particularly among children. But when it comes to adult immunization, we have not been nearly as successful.

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  • Members of Congress Call for a Reduction in Financial Barriers to Vaccines

    Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ami Bera, and Michelle Lujan Grisham addressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reinforce the importance of their efforts to reduce financial barriers to vaccine access in the Medicare Part D program.

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