BACKGROUND:
Following several years of effort to establish a fully operational statewide immunization registry, Wyoming is now in the position to leverage the technology of the registry for other public health related initiatives. The most recent activity has been the addition of responder tracking as a module of the existing registry system. Wyoming has completed the responder system/registry integration, PVS data migration and certification necessary to establish itself as a non-PVS state. The state is now prepared to utilize the immunization registry for smallpox vaccinations as well as other responder tracking activities.

OBJECTIVE:
This presentation will discuss the benefits of registry/responder system integration and the steps in achieving this capability. The presenters will also outline Wyoming’s future plans in use of the responder system for events in addition to smallpox vaccinations.

METHOD:
Oral presentation and PowerPoint slides.

RESULT:
The presentation will detail how the responder system/registry integration has benefited the goals of Wyoming’s BT initiatives by leveraging the database and application code of an existing public health system.

CONCLUSION:
There are a number of benefits in the use of a common database for childhood/adult immunizations and responder tracking.
Maintenance and ownership of responder tracking data within the state public health environment as opposed to a national database such as PVS provides a number of benefits. Wyoming now has the latitude to track responders for multiple types of events, both BT and non-BT, can customize reports and make use of tools such as inventory tracking that are native to the immunization registry system.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will understand the rational behind Wyoming’s decision to implement a non-PVS responder system, the steps involved in achieving this functionality, the approximate costs to expect, the time involved and the roles of those involved in this project.