Immunization and Vaccines for Children Cooperative agreement Immunization & VFC - The goal of this Ohio Department of Health (ODH) proposal is to support public health immunization systems, and protect Ohioans from vaccine-preventable diseases by increasing access, confidence, and demand for vaccines. This proposal focuses on seven priority strategies to: 1) Strengthen program infrastructure and management; 2) Increase vaccine access; 3) Improve vaccine availability; 4) Promote vaccine confidence and demand; 5) Enhance data and evaluation; 6) Strengthen program support for partners; and 7) Enhance vaccination response readiness. ODH proposes to manage, order and coordinate the distribution all federally allocated supplies of VFC and 317 vaccines to enrolled Ohio vaccine providers using the federal vaccine tracking system integrated with the Ohio immunization information system (ImpactSIIS). ODH proposes to operate and maintain the IIS according to IIS functional standards, maintain qualified personnel to manage these systems and meet CDC requirements for data quality and secure data communication. ODH proposes to operationalize the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program according to CDC guidance, maintain adequate VFC provider enrollment, monitor VFC provider activities, perform VFC site visits, record VFC compliance in the CDC PEAR system according to the VFC Operations Guide, and expand birthing hospital use of VFC vaccines. ODH proposes to facilitate the reporting, tracking, and treatment of infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen positive mothers according to CDC requirements. ODH proposes to partner with 25% of VFC providers to complete the Immunization Quality Improvement for Providers (IQIP)process according to CDC standards. ODH proposes to manage, enroll and monitor adult vaccine providers per CDC requirements and assess adult immunization program capacity. ODH proposes to identify populations with lower vaccine coverage using the IIS and provide data and resources to support activities to increase vaccine acceptance through the Ohio Medicaid program, local health departments, pharmacies that provide vaccines and VFC providers. ODH proposes to assess school vaccine levels for kindergarten, seventh and 12th grades according to Ohio Revised Code and CDC reporting requirements, and provide the data on the Ohio data portal and ODH website. ODH proposes to implement sub-grants to at least 50 local health departments (LHDs) to increase vaccine access and confidence by performing IQIPs, initiate provider education programs through a sub-grant to the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (e.g., MOBI and TIES), focus on low immunization levels using ODH IIS data, assure follow-up on high-risk infants exposed to hepatitis B, and educate schools regarding the importance of maintaining high immunization rates. ODH proposes to maintain public facing vaccine information and create multimedia campaigns to encourage back-to-school and respiratory vaccinations during different seasons. ODH proposes to maintain and improve disease surveillance systems to: 1. Investigate and document cases and/or outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs); 2. Ensure clinical specimens are tested and relevant epidemiological information collected and communicated to state and federal partners; and 3. Work with state-wide partners to identify HBsAg-positive pregnant women and births to HBsAg-positive women. ODH proposes to follow-up on reported serious adverse events or vaccine safety according to CDC requirements. ODH proposes to enhance vaccine response readiness for VPD pandemics and exercise preparedness by partnering with the Ohio National Guard and LHDs to provide free vaccines one weekend each year at Ohio GuardCare.
