EMI IMMIUNIZATION PROGRAM - The Republic of the Marshall Islands Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS) Immunization Program is applying for the 3 Components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Notice of Funding Opportunity: Strengthening Vaccine-Preventable Disease Prevention and Response (CDC-RFA-IP-25-0007). The RMI MOHHS embraces the theme “Kumi Ejmour” or “Health is a shared responsibility.” The mission of the RMI MOHHS is "To provide high quality, effective, affordable, and efficient health services to all people of the Marshall Islands, through a primary care program to improve the health statistics, and build the capacity of each community, family and the individual to care for their own health.” The Immunization Program is one of several programs under RMI MOHHS’s Primary Healthcare Services to support this mission. In addition, the RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services works in partnership with the Health Community Health Councils to ensure critical healthcare services are provided to the community that spans 5 main islands and 29 atolls and covers an area of approximately 180,000 square miles. As a result of the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, morbidity and mortality rates are relatively high for the island nation. Although the Immunization Program has made considerable progress with respect to increasing vaccine coverage rates and access, the program continues to address low vaccination confidence and demand because of a multitude of social and behavioral factors, among others. With the funds from this Cooperative Agreement, the RMI MOHHS Immunization Program will address the following 7 strategies through the implementation of evidence-based approaches: • Strengthen Program Infrastructure and Management by building capacity among key personnel and ensuring equitable distribution of resources to sustain the program’s infrastructure • Increase Vaccine Access by ensuring equitable access to vaccines among the program’s identified populations of focus • Improve Vaccination Equity by reducing disparities and ensure equitable distribution and administration of vaccines through knowledge-building, collaboration and uptake • Promote Vaccine Confidence and Demand by increasing trust, confidence, and demand for vaccines among the community • Enhance Data and Evaluation by enhancing data systems and developing new tools to improve data quality and program outcomes • Strengthen Program Support for Partners by building capacity among partners and leveraging networks • Enhance Vaccination Response Readiness. Through these strategies, the program will implement required activities to ensure the short-term, intermediate and the following long-term outcomes are met: increase access, confidence, and demand of vaccines using evidence-based strategies to populations of focus and the distribution of materials and resources; enhance data and evaluation activities by capitalizing on Immunization Information Systems (IIS) capabilities; strengthen program support for partners to increase awareness on immunizations; improve vaccination equity among the community; and, enhance vaccination response readiness to VPD outbreaks and other public health emergencies.
