Partnerships to Enhance Immunization Information Systems - Immunization Information Systems (IIS) play an essential role in creating a comprehensive immunization record, assisting with vaccine forecasting, generating patient reminders, assessing vaccine uptake, providing schools and childcare providers access to consolidated records, assisting with vaccine ordering and inventory management, supporting outbreak investigation, calculating vaccine coverage estimates, identifying areas of inequitable vaccine access, and much more. The importance of these public health systems was highlighted most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic response, when IIS were used to provide a national view of vaccine coverage, identify pockets of need, and track whether vaccines were distributed in an equitable manner. Despite the importance and necessity of IIS, they are underfunded, have fragmented implementation, and are not entirely consistent in their functionality and capabilities. The American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) is a national non-profit organization with a mission is to advance the development and utilization of immunization data to foster healthier communities by promoting the implementation of IIS to combat vaccine-preventable diseases. For 25 years, AIRA’s expertise, resources, and national reach have provided capacity-building assistance to IIS and immunization programs. The CDC’s vision for IIS is that they can capture, exchange, and utilize high-quality, individual-level immunization data across jurisdictions, providers, and partners, linking it with other data sources to inform public health actions. To achieve this vision, CDC seeks to build capacity within the immunization and IIS programs in five key component areas: Advancing Technologies and Standards, Engaging and Supporting the IIS Community, Improving Data Collection and Use, Developing the Workforce, and Educating the Workforce. Substantial work is required across each of the key component areas to achieve the CDC's vision for IIS. With this application, AIRA seeks to assist in the effort to improve and modernize IIS; enhance the use of immunization data, and support and educate the IIS community and workforce. By addressing these components, AIRA aims to contribute to the advancement of IIS and the immunization workforce, which are essential tools and resources for preventing and controlling vaccine-preventable diseases and responding to public health emergencies. AIRA is strategically positioned to build upon this existing work to help CDC achieve their vision for IIS. Specifically, AIRA seeks to do this across four of the five component areas: Component 1: Advance Technology and Standards - AIRA will implement strategies that support maintaining and improving IIS standards and requirements, influencing the health IT landscape to improve data quality at the point of care, improving interoperability across the IIS ecosystem, leveraging the Immunization Gateway to facilitate data exchange, and evaluating and improving the application of IIS standards. Component 2: Community Engagement and Support - AIRA will implement strategies that support creating a community of collaboration among all IIS stakeholders, including CDC, by facilitating productive dialogue; establishing transparent feedback loops; improving the understanding of the application of policies, requirements, and standards; and providing technical assistance. Component 3: Improve Data Collection and Use - AIRA will deploy strategies that support improving the data collection, management and use of IIS data including collaboration with healthcare providers and electronic health record vendors to improve data quality at the point of care, and using IIS data to assess coverage, identify populations at risk for vaccine preventable diseases, and monitor responses. Component 5: Education - AIRA will implement strategies to improve the knowledge of the IIS workforce by managing communities of practice and/or user groups to share best practices and lesson
