BACKGROUND:
In July 2002, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) was selected to engage in a three-year demonstration project known as the Racial and Ethnic Adult Disparities in Immunizations Initiative (READII) in an effort to reduce the racial and ethnic disparities in influenza and pneumococcal vaccination coverage for Hispanics 65 years and older.

OBJECTIVE:
To discuss a successful, culturally-sensitive, and multi-faceted approach being conducted by the SAMHD and community partners to improve the influenza and pneumococcal immunization coverage of elderly Hispanics.

METHOD:
The San Antonio READII formulated a Community Action Plan that entails the expansion of service delivery, development and use of successful forms of media presentations to increase vaccine education and promotional efforts, and the encouragement of providers to adopt effective practice interventions. Assessment methods utilized include -- a telephone survey of Medicare beneficiaries conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Immunization Program, a review of 2002 Influenza Season Medicare data, immunization surveys used to measure previous flu and pneumococcal vaccination status, and process evaluation surveys used to help measure the impact of targeted educational and service delivery interventions.

RESULT:
Findings of conducted surveys and a discussion of the project’s successes and shortcomings will be addressed.

CONCLUSION:
Upon second year completion, the project has successfully established working relationships with community stakeholders to formulate and implement a Community Action Plan tailored to the needs of elderly Hispanics. The project has enabled the development of a stronger framework to improve influenza and pneumococcal education and vaccination delivery for elderly Hispanics.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will learn about: Developing and maintaining community partnerships; identifying barriers associated with low influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates of Hispanic elderly and addressing these barriers with best practice strategies; and evaluating project effectiveness