The implementation of activities designed to increase immunization coverage rates across Idaho and to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by vaccine-preventable diseases. - Routine childhood immunization coverage has been declining for several years in Idaho. While there are over 350 Vaccines for Children (VFC) providers across Idaho, the Idaho Immunization Program (IIP) at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare plan to reevaluate geographic spread of vaccination providers and conduct enhanced outreach to increase availability and accessibility of vaccines. To support these efforts, small-area analyses will be conducted to identify areas of the state where vaccination rates may be lower due to relevant distance to a provider office and relative provider types available (e.g., pediatrician offices, community health centers, etc.). Furthermore, a webpage with vaccine providers that choose to share their information, the types of vaccines they offer, and the populations they serve (e.g., uninsured vs. Insured, adult vs. pediatric) will be made available. Specific focus will be paid toward American Indian and Alaska Native populations, in coordination with tribal health centers, along with other populations living in rural or frontier areas of the state. Each year of the five-year cycle, the IIP will offer support to at least one tribal health center to support vaccine confidence and demand efforts. Similarly, the IIP plans to work on improving availability of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine to pregnant mothers and nirsevimab to their infants at birthing hospitals, pediatrician offices, and other relevant providers. While more than 40% of birthing hospitals in Idaho are already enrolled in the VFC program, the IIP will work to improve this figure while ensuring all enrolled providers continue to offer age-appropriate vaccinations, such as nirsevimab. While these efforts are underway, the Immunization Information System (IIS) section within the IIP will continue to improve availability of data and the types of reports that can be generated from the IIS. This includes the planned publication of a routine childhood immunization dashboard and continued and improved access to protected individual-level immunization histories using a public-facing portal. By the end of the five-year cycle, the IIP hopes to have improved overall access and availability to vaccines both physically, via additional on-site offerings, and virtually, by ensuring public knowledge regarding access to vaccines are made available through proposed webpages and dashboards.
