By Atlantic Health Partners
Recent
reports indicate that routine vaccination rates have seen substantial decreases in the past several years, with factors such as stay-at-home orders and increased vaccine hesitancy contributing to this decline. While rates have slowly
begun to rebound, they still have not caught up to pre-pandemic levels. Measles, hepatitis A and B, and meningitis are just some of the vaccine preventable diseases that children and adults across the country now face a greater risk of contracting. However, some practices and clinics have addressed these challenges through
innovative partnerships that help engage patients and extend outreach to where they live, work, gather, and learn. Such partnerships have helped increase vaccine awareness and access for targeted groups like children and adolescents, as well as members of at-risk communities, and are an essential step for restoring vaccination rates across the country.
School Systems
School systems have been essential to keeping children on pace with their
recommended vaccine schedules, but lower enrollment has contributed to the highest yet number of missed childhood vaccines
since 2009. Healthcare providers can partner with
school districts, childcare programs, and ECE centers to host onsite vaccination clinics. Providers can offer the clinical staff, vaccine supply, and scheduling technology necessary to host a successful clinic, in exchange for the school’s support with engaging children and families, as well as offering a convenient location. Several states have already started planning
back to school vaccination clinics, to provide students with their vaccines along with other essential health screenings. As students prepare to go back to school in the fall, this will remain a vital means of restoring typical vaccine coverage.
Community and Advocacy Groups
Community and advocacy groups are another avenue to explore when considering partners in vaccine delivery. These local organizations are more in tune with the specific needs or concerns of their respective communities, making them well-positioned to support immunization education and access.
In one example, San Diego’s public health department partnered with nearby healthcare organizations to address a
hepatitis A outbreak in their homeless population. By combining the resources, expertise, and personnel of the local health department with that of institutions like Scripps, Family Health Centers, Sharp, and University of California San Diego, this initiative led to the administration of
more than 160,000 hepatitis A vaccinations through both mass immunization events and mobile vaccination sites, with
85% of vaccines administered to at-risk patients. These types of partnerships can help effectively engage and inform members of your community about the importance of vaccinations, preventing future outbreaks.
Private Sector
The private sector has proven to be a highly effective partner in efforts to increase vaccine distribution. Whether it be for logistical assistance, or to help build trust within communities, large companies have helped efforts to enable more people to have access to the vaccines they need. Companies like
Microsoft,
Starbucks,
and more partnered with local healthcare organizations during the pandemic to host vaccination sites, improve scheduling technology, support the logistics of immunization efforts, and ultimately improve vaccination rates.
The Power of Partnerships in Building Healthier Communities
Healthcare organizations, practices, and clinics are deeply committed to creating and supporting safe, healthy communities. Each vaccine, and community in question has unique factors that have contributed to the decrease in routine vaccination rates, and there is no one solution. To address this decline, it is important for industry leaders to explore opportunities to engage with outside partners to expand their reach and resources, get patients back on track with their routine vaccinations, and protect against preventable illnesses.
ISMA members get most favorable vaccine pricing
Atlantic Health Partners, the nation’s largest vaccine buying group, offers ISMA members the most favorable vaccine pricing and terms. Atlantic's program includes discounts and support on vaccines from all manufacturers, including Sanofi, Merck, GSK, Pfizer, Seqirus and AstraZeneca.
Atlantic also has a comprehensive flu vaccine program and exemplary customer service staff who can help members with selecting, pre-booking and administering vaccines.
Contact Atlantic to learn more about its flu vaccine program and for assistance with other vaccine-related topics, such as ordering, coding and reimbursement. To learn more, email Cindy or Jeff at
info@atlantichealthpartners.com; or call 800-741-2044.