These reminder cards, created in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE),Ā are a tool that can be used by healthcare professionals to help remind parents which vaccines their child needs, and remind adults which vaccines they need. The card can folded, taped, and mailed to patients, or hand-delivered at a wellness exam. The childhood card includes all recommended childhood and adolescent vaccines, and the adult card includes all recommended adult vaccines. The cards are both available in English and Spanish.
Now Hiring! 2022-23 CO-mmunity Corps VISTA Positions
Immunize Colorado is now hiring for Immunization Education & Outreach Coordinator positions as part of the 2022/23 CO-mmunity Corps. The CO-mmunity Corps is Immunize Colorado’s AmeriCorps VISTA program. The program places ten full-time VISTA members at local public health organizations throughout the state. These members build the capacity of their host site by developing and implementing local immunization activities that promote education and access to vaccines and primary care services in their communities.
Colorado Minors Can Now Access Some Vaccines on Their Own
In 2021 Senate Bill 21-016: Protecting Preventive Health Coverage was passed into law. The law allows minors to consent to certain vaccines that protect against common and sometimes dangerous infections. Parental or legal guardian approval is now not required for people under age 18 to obtain the human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines during a healthcare visit that includes the discussion of reproductive health.
On May 10, Immunize Colorado hosted a webinar during which Jack Teter, the Regional Director of Government Affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, discussed the new law and its implications. The webinar also featured an overview of the Alliance for HPV Free Colorado and its work to expand access to the HPV vaccine across Colorado.
Additionally, to help parents, youth, and healthcare providers understand the new law and their role in implementing it, Immunize Colorado, Denver Health and the Alliance for HPV Free Colorado created a fact sheet, available in English and Spanish.
CDPHE Announces Updated Recommendation for Hepatitis B Vaccination for Adults 19-59
On April 1, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published updated recommendations for universal hepatitis B vaccination in adults aged 19-59 years. The recommendation removes the risk factor assessment previously in place for adults in this age group. A universal recommendation will simplify the hepatitis B recommendation for both vaccine recipients and clinicians, with the hope to increase hepatitis B vaccination coverage and decrease hepatitis B infection.
Read the Mid-Year CO-mmunity Corps Newsletter
Immunize Colorado has released a newsletter detailing the successes of six AmeriCorps VISTA members placed at local public health departments across Colorado as part of the organization’s CO-mmunity Corps program. These members help build the capacity of their host sites by developing and implementing local activities which promote education about and access to vaccinations and primary care services.
Alliance for HPV Free Colorado Launches Paid Media Campaign
On February 21st, the Alliance for HPV Free ColoradoĀ launched a statewide paid media campaign encouraging parents and caregivers of adolescents aged 9-17 to talk to their child’s healthcare provider about the cancer-preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The campaign website includesĀ parent and physician testimonials, answers to frequently asked questions about the HPV vaccine, and a list of other trusted resources for vaccine information.Ā The campaign is supported by the Cancer, Cardiovascular and Chronic Pulmonary Disease Grants Program and is part of a multidisciplinary approach to increase HPV vaccine completion for 9-17 year olds in 15 Colorado counties.Ā
For more information and inquiries, please contact Emily Clancy, Communications Director, at Emily.Clancy@childrenscolorado.org.
Immunize Colorado Seeks Community Influencers to Implement Vaccination Interventions
Attention all BIPOC community leaders, health equity advocates, and routine immunization champions! Immunize Colorado has been granted an opportunity by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement education and access interventions in five locations throughout the state of Colorado, with the goal of increasing routine and childhood immunization rates within BIPOC communities in those areas at the end of a 3-year grant period. To do this, Immunize Colorado is working to identify community leaders within the Latinx, Black, and Tribal communities to serve as āinfluencersā in the San Luis Valley, Fort Morgan, Aurora, Denver, and Colorado Springs who would be willing to facilitate these interventions in their community.Ā Influencers are particularly needed in the San Luis Valley, Fort Morgan, Aurora, and Denver, in the Black and Tribal communities. The ideal candidate will have excellent rapport within their community, will be willing to assist in the design of interventions, and will have the availability and skills necessary to facilitate interventions, which could range from small conversation circles to large immunization clinics. Immunize Colorado will work within communities to design interventions based on community input, and will provide technical support for the facilitation and evaluation of these interventions. Ā
Number of interventions, hours, and location will depend upon availability, qualifications, and results from a community needs assessment. This will be a paid position, with a contract negotiable, dependent upon these factors. Immunize Colorado will also offer networking, professional development, and training opportunities.
Please contact Sarah WaraniakĀ at sarah.waraniak@childrenscolorado.orgĀ if you or someone you know might be interested!Ā
New Child Care Immunization Policy Toolkit
Immunize Colorado has released a toolkit on immunization policy for Colorado child care programs to support child care administrators in their efforts to comply with state immunization laws and keep students and child care staff protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. Specifically, the toolkit aims to help child care administrators understand Coloradoās child care entry immunization requirements and their role in implementing these requirements. The new toolkit contains:
- FAQs surrounding Senate Bill 20-163: School Entry Immunization and how this new law impacts licensed child care programs,
- Immunization policy recommendations for child care programs,
- Template policies and messaging tools directed toward parents and caregivers, and
- Vaccine education resources
These tools can be used and customized by child care administrators as is helpful to their programs and communities.
New Campaign: COVID-19 Vaccines Help Kids Be Kids!
Local Public Health Agencies and Partners Launch Campaign to Inform and Answer Parentsā Questions about COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Ages 5-11
Denver Metro Area, Colo. ā For the last year and a half, Coloradoās children have missed out on so many things ā from sports games to birthday parties, and from sleepovers to in-person learning. Children are resilient, but they shouldnāt face ongoing challenges without support. Thatās why the early-November announcement that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is available for kids ages 5-11 is such good news for our community. Now that all school-aged children are eligible to be vaccinated, our kids can get back to the things they love ā and most importantly, they can get back to being kids.
To help parents find resources and information about COVID-19 vaccines for children, the local public health partners in the Denver Metro Area ā Boulder County Public Health, Broomfield Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Jefferson County Public Health, Public Health Institute at Denver Health and Tri-County Health Department ā in partnership with Immunize Colorado are launching a new public information campaign. The campaign, which is called āCOVID-19 Vaccines Help Kids Be Kidsā and launches this week, features local pediatricians, family medicine providers and public health experts explaining the ins-and-outs of the vaccine, and why they support vaccination for children ages 5-11. In addition, the campaign features local parents sharing why they are choosing to get their own child vaccinated.
āWhen it comes to trusted health information for their children, parents want and need to hear from primary care providers and other trusted medical professionals, as well as other parents,ā said Stephanie Wasserman, MSPH, Executive Director of Immunize Colorado. āItās been a long road to get to where we are, and parents and children alike have given so much. The widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine is good news and a major step to helping families across the state get back to their Colorado way of life ā safely.ā
One of the main objectives of the campaign is to dispel misinformation and myths about COVID-19 vaccination in an effort to help protect children from the virus. Although fewer children have had COVID-19 compared to adults, they can still get it, become ill and spread it to others. As of October 2021, there have been more than 1.9 million cases of COVID-19 among children ages 5 to 11 in the U.S. since the onset of the pandemic. More than 39,200 of those cases were in Colorado with over 210 children ages 5 to 11 being hospitalized due to COVID-19. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, currently about one in four cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. are among those ages 17 and younger.
Most children who do become sick with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all. However, some children can get severely ill from COVID-19. Children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness, and vaccination helps protect those children who are immunocompromised and cannot themselves receive a vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children is a two-dose series given at least three weeks (21 days) apart. The vaccine dose for children (10 micrograms) is a third of the vaccine dose used among people ages 12 and older (30 micrograms).
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) concluded the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 is safe and effective. The vaccine for children ages 5-11 was about 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, and 100% effective at preventing severe disease and death. The vaccineās safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children ages 5-11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.
In the trial, side effects among children were similar to those among adults. The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain and chills, all of which are normal signs that your bodyās immune system is building protection. There were no severe events related to the vaccine. In addition, COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines, such as flu or other routine childhood immunizations, can be administered together.
āAlmost a million children ages 5 to 11 years old have already safely been vaccinated against COVID-19, and thousands of children in the same age range have safely received the vaccine in a clinical trial,ā said Dr. Dawn Comstock, Executive Director at Jefferson County Public Health. āGetting a COVID-19 vaccine for your child will help keep them safe and can give you peace of mind that they are protected for whatever special moments life brings.ā
Kids ages 5-11 who are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine can get one for free close to home. No insurance or ID is required. Check with your childās health care provider to see if they are offering the COVID-19 vaccine, or visit the new campaign webpage www.COVIDFreeKids.org to find vaccination locations for children and families across the Denver Metro region.
About the Metro Denver Partnership for Health
MDPH is led by six public health partners serving the Denver metro area: Boulder County Public Health, Broomfield Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment, Jefferson County Public Health, the Public Health Institute at Denver Health, and Tri-County Health Department, serving Adams and Arapahoe counties. MDPHās work impacts nearly 3 million Coloradans ā 60% of the stateās population ā who live in this region. MDPH is supported and staffed by the Colorado Health Institute (CHI). More information can be found on CHIās website at https://colo.health/MDPH.
Immunize Colorado Welcomes New Executive Director
After an extensive and rigorous search by the Immunize Colorado board of directors, we are proud to announce that Carla Bacon, DrPHc, MPH, MBA, will assume the role of Executive Director and will begin with the organization on November 8. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Bacon!
Since 2000, Ms. Bacon’s contributions to public health include a variety of leadership roles: Regional and County Public Health Director/Administrator in Klickitat County, Washington and Fremont County, Colorado; Founder and Executive Director of the National Uterine Fibroids Foundation; and Analyst III for Kaiser Permanente.
As a Regional and Public Health Director across three states during her career, Ms. Bacon directed community and family public health and early intervention services in Colorado, Oklahoma and Washington. This work included administering the budgets, supervising professional, technical, and administrative staff, and managing and evaluating public health programs. In all states, Ms. Bacon worked closely with the State Department(s) of health to develop programs, pursue grant funding, and provide reporting and audits of the private, county, state, and/or federally funded health initiatives.
As the founder, volunteer Executive Director, and Board Member of the National Uterine Fibroids Foundation (NUFF), Ms. Bacon’s work in patient advocacy and nonprofit development began in 2000 and continues today. Through NUFF, she has enjoyed partnering with entities such as the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (AHRQ), the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the Office of Research on Womenās Health (ORWH), the PatientāCentered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ms. Bacon received her Master in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, her Master in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and is currently a PhD Candidate in Public Health through the University of Illinios.