KEYWORDS:
Adolescent Immunizations, School Nurses, Vaccines For Children Program

BACKGROUND:
New school immunization requirements and low immunization compliance rates in schools required a proactive outreach plan on the part of Pima County Health Department. Strong "partnering activities" with school health personnel demonstrated that school-based immunization clinics were the most effective way to provide timely immunizations to large numbers of adolescents.

OBJECTIVE:
1) To achieve maximum adolescent compliance rates for newly mandated immunizations via school based immunization clinics. 2) To recruit and train school nurses to provide immunization clinics within their own schools and to partner/assist other school nurses. 3) To encourage school districts to become independent VFC vaccine sites in order to provide ongoing clinics for their students.

METHOD:
Pima County Health Department (PCHD) established an ongoing training program for school nurses on vaccine administration and "How to run school immunization clinics." The curriculum is based on VFC guidelines and materials as well as information provided by ADHS. "Hands on" experience is obtained via school based immunization clinics co-sponsored by PCHD and the individual school nurse managers. PCHD provides ongoing support in the form of syringes and related supplies.

RESULT:
1)Completed requisite training programs; 2) immunized over 3,000 children, and 3) enlisted local Rotary Chapter's assistance in the purchase of several refrigerators. Two of Pima County's largest school districts have become VFC sites to date.

CONCLUSION:
Building strong partnerships with school nurses and their nurse managers has been the key to immunizing large numbers of students and establishing school-based VFC sites. Willingness to educate and assist school health personnel in their own settings has overcome many inherent scheduling and transportation obstacles that parents encounter in getting timely immunizations for their children.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1)Describe methods to increase immunization opportunities.
2)Describe the role of community-based coalitions in development of outreach programs.