Management and outcome of school-based mass vaccination clinics for seasonal influenza—a national perspective

Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
1. By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to list two elements that impact feasibility of school-based clinic (SBC) for mass influenza vaccination
2. By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to describe three styles of conducting SBCs
3. By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to explain one benefit and one limitation of SBCs

Background:
Recent anecdotal reports suggest that SBCs can be suitable sites for mass influenza vaccination. We describe lessons learned from multiple SBCs around the country.

Setting:
We constructed a purposive sample of elementary, middle, and high schools where mass influenza vaccine campaigns were conducted during the 2005-2006 influenza seasons. Each program was provided in 1-2 schools (n=6), school districts (n=6), 1-2 counties (n=3), or >2 counties (n=3 states, 10 sites).

Population:
Local coordinators were identified by snowball networking and interviewed at 25 (78%) of 32 sites.

Project Description:
Semi-structured telephone interviews were used to report feasibility of SBCs, methods used, and perceived benefits and limitations. We assessed local acceptance of SBCs, perceived keys to success, logistics, and vaccination rates.

Results/Lessons Learned:
Overall reported vaccination rate was approximately 40% among 104,442 enrolled children. By report, children usually missed < 20 min classroom time. Most respondents indicated that these clinics were part of their regular duties, and that no essential public health or school nursing services were omitted because of the program. Superintendent, principal, school nurse, and school office staff support was consistently reported to be central to program success, particularly in obtaining parental consent. Respondents reported mostly positive comments afterwards from parents, school officials, and teachers; few local physicians raised objections.
The principal reported barrier to program sustainability was vaccine cost. Insurance reimbursement methods should be explored to fund vaccine and its administration for children who do not meet federal qualifications for VFC.