Community Vaccinator's Forum: Building Partnerships with Nontraditional Immunizers

Background:
Michigan's first Community Vaccinator's Forum, held in June of 2007, evolved from questions and concerns raised at various immunization advisory board meetings. Concerns stemmed from lack of information on who all of the players in community vaccination are and how they are trained on issues such as administration, storage and handling, and documentation of vaccines.

Setting:
Event held by the state health department in Lansing, Michigan

Population:
Pharmacies, retail stores, community vaccinators, immunization coalition partners, professional associations, state and local health departments, health providers, and other professionals

Project Description:
The goals of the forum were to promote collaboration and partnerships; identify key vaccination contacts and partners; improve communication; discuss policy and practice issues; and create an awareness of programs and resources available to community vaccinators. The agenda included topics such as immunization 101, federal & state regulations, documentation of vaccines in the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR), Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, and best practices for health care personnel vaccination. In the afternoon, a policies & practices breakout session was held, where participants were able to discuss their target audience for vaccines, vaccine financing & reimbursement, timing & coordination of clinics, and standards of practice. The day closed with a discussion of available state & local resources.

Results/Lessons Learned:
There is much work to be done in the area of partnership building. Timing and coordination of influenza clinics with other community partners is difficult. Audiences served and practices used to store and handle vaccines varied widely. Further, community vaccinators in Michigan need to be identified and current contacts need to be brought to the table and included in future meetings, events, and distribution of immunization information through newsletters, e-mails, etc. Current efforts to reach out to nontraditional immunizers (through the flu website, flu newsletters, and flu clinic referral posters) will be discussed.