Vaccine Resources: Teen Health Mobile App, Global Vaccine Initiative, Standing Orders Workshops

U.S. practices help with global vaccine initiative

Vaccine Ambassadors is a program for pediatric clinics that offers families the opportunity to participate in a global immunization initiative. Here’s how it works:

• Clinics sign up with the Vaccine Ambassadors program to offer a month-long campaign in their practice.
• During the campaign, providers can talk about vaccines from a different point of view. As they share the opportunity to donate with patients and their families, providers can mention the fact that in some countries families must walk for miles to have their children vaccinated, and that a donation of just $2 can purchase six DPT or three measles-rubella vaccines.
• The Vaccine Ambassadors program has partnerships with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization that enable 100 percent of donations (minus standard credit card processing fees) to go to the purchase of vaccines and immunization services in areas of need.

This program was piloted in 17 pediatric clinics in North Carolina and is now offered nationally. Last year, funds were used for a measles-rubella campaign in Haiti. Donations to the Vaccine Ambassador program, secured from both the pediatric clinic program and private donors, were used to purchase more than 25,000 doses of vaccine.

Find out more or sign up today.

Standing orders workshops take place around the country

Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has developed a new program called “Take a Stand: Using Standing Orders to Vaccinate Adults.” The program, enabled with a sponsorship from Pfizer, is national in scope and aims to raise adult immunization rates through increased use of standing orders by medical practices that see adult patients.

Practices that offer at least one adult immunization will be eligible to participate in a no-cost, interactive four-hour workshop, and receive one year of follow-up support following the workshop.

These events will be held in at least 20 locations across the country and will be led by a multidisciplinary team of experts in adult immunizations. The workshops will:

• Reinforce the value of adult vaccination.
• Demonstrate the benefits of instituting standing orders to raise immunization rates within practices.
• Describe legal principles related to implementing standing orders protocols.
• Teach attendees to establish and implement standing orders. 

Practices can expect positive outcomes including better patient care, enhanced practice efficiency, reduced costs for providing adult vaccinations, and ongoing access to evidence-based tools and expert guidance related to standing orders.

For more information about the Take a Stand program or to sign up for a workshop in your area, visit www.StandingOrders.org. To see where and when programs are occurring, you can also visit the Vaccine Update calendar.