KEYWORD1:
ImmuNet
Children
Immunizations
Parent Education
Outreach
Health Care Providers
Missed Immunization Appointment (MIA)
Low-Income Areas

BACKGROUND:
Many children in low-income areas get immunizations from many different health care providers, leaving a question of whether the immunization series is completed. Tracking their progress is difficult. Many parents do not have a copy of the immunization record and are not educated on the importance of immunizations. Missed immunizations can indicate that other health care needs are not being addressed.

OBJECTIVE:
ImmuNet will be practiced in South Carolina. The objective is to provide immunization education, outreach and follow-up, to ensure that children are completely immunized

METHOD:
Methods used for ImmuNet are immunization drives, the MIA program, Prenatal Education, Adopt-A-Community, and Parent Education Focus Groups. Volunteers hold immunization drives by canvassing communities, educating on the importance of immunizations. The MIA program targets children under two who are behind on their immunizations. Prenatal Education involves visiting new mothers to encourage them to allow babies to receive the hepatitis vaccination while in the hospital. Adopting low-income communities allows volunteers to gain community trust and hold activities where educational outreach can be achieved.

RESULT:
ImmuNet has shown success in linking families with health care providers. Gonzales Gardens, a low-income community in Richland County, identified a lack of appropriate connection between medical needs and the usage of medical resources. 85 % of parents do not follow through with well-baby visits. 81% of the children contacted through the MIA program have been linked with health care providers and 69% received needed services beyond immunizations.

CONCLUSION:
ImmuNet will be a successful addition to the immunization programs of South Carolina. We anticipate that our impact will accomplish our goal to immunize children and link them to health care providers.
LEARNINGOBJECTIVES:
Missing well baby visits risks missing immunizations for children. Low-income families face barriers getting to health care facilities; they choose to visit emergency rooms over private providers. Many low-income families are hard to track due to moving or disconnected phones. Having a good tracking system will keep immunization rates up