KEYWORDS:
Incentives
Public/Private Partnerships
Community-Wide Efforts

BACKGROUND:
Otero/Bent/Crowley Counties are a Colorado Childrens Immunization Coalition Initiative Site beginning in 1999.
During our first CASAS a problem was discovered: Parents were not bringing in their childrens immunization records to the physician or clinic visits.

OBJECTIVE(S):
Raise immunization rates.
Encourage parents to bring immunization records to each visit.

METHOD(S):
An incentive program was designed to remedy this deficiency.
Every time a parent brought an immunization record to a physician/clinic visit they registered to win a drawing for a certificate.
These certificates were purchased from local businesses

RESULT(S):
Public/private partnerships were forged.
The public sector educated the communities about immunizations.
We increased awareness of immunizations in our communities
Physician offices gathered immunization histories on their clients to assure children received their immunizations according to the recommended schedule.
Parents encouraged to bring their children°¦s records to every health care visit.
Parents pleased with the incentive program for two reasons:
Opportunity to win a certificate.
Up-to-date records for their children.
Other incentives included a parenting book, immunization themed tee-shirts and "sippy" cups.
Submitted stories of winners to local newspapers, making community wide efforts.
In 2000, increased our county°¦s immunization rates for one and two year olds from 64% to 70% in Bent and 62% to 70% in Otero and Crowley Counties.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Immunization record incentive program, and incentives, contributed to the increase in rates.
This program assisted us in community building regarding childrens immunizations

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will be able to describe the community-wide project.
Participants will be able to list two positive outcomes of the project.