Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to describe the impact of outreach activities on childhood immunization coverage in Philadelphia.

Background:
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health identifies children age 9-10 months who are not up-to-date for immunizations. Some of these children receive outreach interventions. Limited information exists on the effectiveness of these interventions.

Objectives:
Evaluate the impact of outreach activities on childhood immunization coverage in Philadelphia.

Methods:
Throughout 2004, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health identified and implemented outreach activities for children age 9-10 months and not up-to-date (NUTD) for immunizations according to the immunization registry. Outreach staff visited children's last immunization provider listed in the registry and recorded vaccinations listed in the children's charts but missing from the registry. Outreach staff contacted parents for further immunization data and encouraged parents to ensure that NUTD children received recommended immunizations. In some cases, outreach staff make home visits and directly administered immunizations. We are evaluating the impact of these activities on immunization coverage of these children at age 13 and 19 months.

Results:
During this presentation, we will describe the number of children up-to-date for immunizations according to the child's chart but referred to outreach because the child was identified as NUTD in the registry. Among those children NUTD for immunizations after the chart audit, we will determine the impact of outreach on immunization coverage by age 13 and 19 months.

Conclusions:
Outreach activities were implemented in Philadelphia to promote immunization among children NUTD at age 9-10 months. The results of this evaluation will determine the effectiveness of these efforts.