Adult Hepatitis B/A Immunization Program Implementation-A State & Local Health Unit Collaboration

Background:  New York State Department of Health implemented a new program to provide Hepatitis B/A combination vaccine to local health departments for all adult patients, who meet the criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.  Without the new policy SCDHS would no longer receive free Hepatitis B/A combination vaccine from NYSDOH.  A policy needed to be developed expeditiously at the local health unit level to implement the immunization program using standing orders to prevent the loss of the free vaccine.

Setting:  The primary health care centers, correctional facilities, migrant program, Immunization Action Program, B.O.C.E.S school based health center, and drug treatment programs run by SCDHS are located in a suburban county in New York.

Population:  The populations served are those aged 19 years or older who fall into one of the high risk groups identified by the CDC’s ACIP committee and attend one of the SCDHS run facilities.  

Project Description:  A policy was developed and implemented using the NYS Board of Nursing template for standing orders for the administration of immunizations by Registered Nurses so that all eligible individuals receive Hep B/A combination vaccine.  NYSDOH facilitated the procurement of individual PIN numbers for each facility or program, and expedited the review and approval process.

Results/Lessons Learned: A local health unit partnered with its state health department to quickly develop and implement a standing order policy for adult immunizations that was acceptable to the state.  The policy developed by SCDHS is now used as a template by NYSDOH for other local health units.