Coalitions: The Power of Connections

Background: Around 2004-2005, negative stories and misinformation about vaccines began to expand via the internet and social media. The increase in misinformation combined with growth of social media networks has led to more parents questioning vaccines and in some states, has led to an increased number of personal belief exemptions from school required vaccinations. In 2009, the California Immunization Coalition began working with the National Public Health Information Coalition on a project designed to increase the understanding of health professionals with the work of public information specialists.  This project also had the goal of increasing state and local public information communicators with an understanding of the dynamic changes that have occurred in immunization communication and the growing impact of social media on public acceptance of vaccines along with the challenges presented by the antivaccine movement.

Program background: The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) is a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to achieve and maintain full immunization protection for all Californians to promote health and prevent serious illness.  The National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) is the premier network of public health information communicators in the US and U.S. territories. NPHIC is committed to "making public health public" by sharing knowledge, expertise and resources to effectively communicate about important health issues. CIC and NPHIC collaborate on the VICNetwork (www.vicnetwork.org) which strives to educate local and national health organizations, coalitions, and public health departments about effective immunization communication strategies, the importance of utilizing new media technologies to convey consistent immunization messages and current immunization issues.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Through webinars, newsletters and e-mail communications sent out via the VICNetwork, a strong national network has been developed to share important information and educational opportunities.  States such as California, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Vermont have developed effective state and local partnerships to address misinformation and support the strengthening of immunizaton policies to protect public health. For example, the CIC meets bimonthly with representatives from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Immunization Branch, the California Department of Education, and CDPH Public Information Office to exchange information and updates about current outbreaks, local, state and national news affecting immunization and strategize on maximizing media opportunities during immunization awareness weeks or months. This strategy has resulted in an increased awareness of what PIO's might expect from media and helps each entity prioritize their efforts so their is less chance of duplication of efforts.

Conclusions:  The efficiencies that can be attained through coordination and collaboration of efforts by state and local health departments and coalitions are vital to sustaining and improving immunization rates for children, adolescents and adults. Use of new media tools to connect coalition members and other immunization stake holders with information, resources and each other can save time and money and strengthen and expand existing networks. Through regular communications with community partners, public health communicators can be better prepared to manage their efforts with the media.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Improved and coordinated messaging on an often complicated but vital public health issue.