The 2024 pocket-sizedĀ immunization scheduleĀ cardsĀ are now available forĀ pre-orderĀ on the Immunize Colorado website.Ā These laminated, hole-punchedĀ cardsĀ are designed to be attached to badges andĀ provide a quick reference for those involved in immunization delivery. TheĀ palmĀ cardsĀ reflect the latest Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations and are available for theĀ childhood immunization schedule, adolescent immunization schedule, adult immunization schedule, contraindications / precautions, and perinatal hepatitis b preventionĀ recommendations. Orders will ship in April 2024.
Immunize Colorado Offers Culturally Adapted Motivational Interviewing Workshop
Immunize ColoradoĀ has developed a Culturally Adapted Motivational Interviewing workshop,Ā which we are now offering in person and virtually through May. The workshop is designed for healthcare providers, pharmacists, students, and othersĀ who work or may have conversationsĀ with people who are vaccine hesitant or are from diverse cultural backgrounds.Ā If your staff, clinic, student group, or other group is interested in a workshop, please contact Madelyn: Madelyn.Wild@childrenscolorado.org.
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases “The Pink Book” Course
Date
June 5 - 6, 2024*
Agenda
Event Description
Registration is now closed.
Immunize Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Immunization Branch will host the Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Course (also known as the "Pink Book") from June 5 - 6, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. The course is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
*A separate supplementary update on the state of immunizations in Colorado will be presented by local immunization experts on the afternoon of June 4 from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. and is included in registration. Continuing education credit is not offered for this portion of the event.Ā
Course Overview and Objectives
Faculty from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will present a comprehensive review of immunization principles, as well as vaccine-preventable diseases and the recommended vaccines to prevent them. This two-day course will feature the most up-to-date immunization information from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Potential topics to be covered:
- Hepatitis B
- DTaP and Tdap
- Varicella
- Hib
- MMR
- Polio
- RSV
- Rotavirus
- Pneumococcal
- COVID-19
- Hepatitis A
- Influenza
- Zoster
- Meningicoccal
- HPV
After attending this conference, participants will be able to:
- Describe the difference between active and passive immunity
- Compare and contrast the characteristics of live, attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccines
- For each vaccine-preventable disease, identify those for whom routine immunization is recommended
- Describe the characteristics of the vaccine(s) used to prevent each disease
- DescribeĀ emerging immunization issues related to pediatric, adolescent, and adult immunization
- Implement disease detection and prevention health care services to prevent health problems and maintain health
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for anyone seeking the most comprehensive and current knowledge of immunization, including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical assistants, pharmacists, immunization providers, program managers, nursing and medical students, and other medical support staff. Participants will need to have a basic understanding of biology and immunization.
Registration
Registration is now closed.
- Early Bird Registration - $200Ā (January 30Ā ā February 29)
- Regular Registration - $250Ā (March 1Ā ā May 9)
- Late Registration* - $290 (May 10 ā May 23)
*If not sold out
Registration fees include an afternoon snack on June 4, lunch and an afternoon snack on June 5 and June 6, and continuing education credit.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Refunds will be given only for registration fees and do not include any travel, lodging, or other fees associated with the Pink Book Course. To qualify for a full refund, cancellations must occur on or before May 9, 2024. Partial refunds may be provided after that date at the discretion of course staff.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Immunize Colorado has secured a room block at Double Tree Cherry Creek for the evenings of June 2-5. The room fee is $189/night before taxes and fees, with the option to upgrade if needed. The room fee includes breakfast for single occupancy (a $15 charge will apply for each additional person). All rooms must be booked by May 20, 2024.
EXHIBITOR AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Consider exhibiting at or sponsoring the 2024 Pink Book Course! This is an excellent opportunity to connect with healthcare providers and public health professionals from across Colorado. To learn about exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, view the 2024 Pink Book sponsorship and exhibitor package or contact us. Please note that due to Immunize Colorado's policy not to accept funding from vaccine manufacturers or distributors, these entities cannot sponsor or exhibit at the Pink Book Course.
Continuing Education credit
Continuing education (CE) for RP4522 Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases will be provided through CDC TRAIN. Instructions for claiming credit can be found here. If you have any questions, you may contact the CE Coordinator at NCIRD, Melissa Barnett at MBarnett2@cdc.gov or the CDC TRAIN Team at train@cdc.gov.
ACCREDITATION STATEMENTS:
In support of improving patient care, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
CME: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this Live course activity for a maximum of 14.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Creditsā¢. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
CNE:Ā The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this activity for 14.5 nursing contact hours.
CPE:Ā The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated this knowledge-based event for pharmacists to receive 1.45 CEUs (14.5 contact hours) in pharmacy education. The Universal Activity Number will be announced during the course. After credit is claimed, an unofficial statement of credit is immediately available on CDC TRAIN. Official credit will be uploaded within 60 days on NABP/CPE Monitor.
CEU:Ā The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is authorized by IACET to offer 1.45 CEUs for this program.
CECH: Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designed for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHESā) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHESā) to receive up to 14.5 total Category 1 continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced level continuing education contact hours available are 14.5. Continuing Competency credits available are 14.5. CDC provider number 98614.
For Certified Public Health Professionals (CPH):Ā The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a preapproved provider of Certified in Public Health (CPH) recertification credits and is authorized to offer 14.5 CPH recertification credits for this program.
DISCLOSURE: In compliance with continuing education requirements, all planners and presenters must disclose all financial relationships, in any amount, with ineligible companies during the previous 24 months as well as any use of unlabeled product(s) or products under investigational use. CDC, our planners, and presenters wish to disclose they have no financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, reselling, or distributing healthcare products by or on patients.
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that are not indicated by the Food and Drug Administration.
CDC did not accept financial or in-kind support from any ineligible company for this continuing education activity.
FEES:Ā No fees are charged for CDC's CE activities.
We’re Hiring! 3 Youth Vaccine Ambassador Positions
At Immunize Colorado, we work to protect Colorado families, schools, and communities
from vaccine-preventable diseases. One of Immunize Coloradoās current priorities is to involve young people (ages 16-18), as vaccine ambassadors for COVID-19, Influenza, HPV, and other recommended vaccinations in this work. Immunize Colorado is looking for young people to help us plan initiatives to improve vaccination rates for teens, particularly in BIPOC communities.
No experience is necessary for this position. The role is flexible and offers competitive pay ($18/hour). Ambassadors gain unique experience working in public health and have the opportunity to work alongside physicians, public health professionals, and other vaccine experts.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)!
National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August which highlights the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. As vaccination rates have declined over the past two years, NIAM serves as a particularly important opportunity to remind parents to get their kids caught up on routine wellness visits and vaccines, especially before they head back to school this fall. Want to get involved? Help spread the word:
- Share Immunize Colorado’s Facebook and Twitter posts and follow along with us as we highlight NIAM on social media this month!
- Check out and share NIAM resources from the CDC and Voices for Vaccines.
- Read and share Kaiser Family Foundation’s recent issue brief, Headed Back to School in 2023: A Look at Children’s Routine Vaccination Trends.
Join the Colorado Refugee & Immigrant Immunization Taskforce (RIIT)
Immunize Colorado is currently working to reinvigorate our Refugee and Immigrant Immunization Taskforce (RIIT), a collective group of healthcare providers, community members, and public health workers dedicated to serving refugee and immigrant communities in the state. We are looking to expand the taskforce and invite community leaders and members from local refugee and immigrant communities to participate, as we recognize the need for the groups we hope to serve to have a seat at the table and be part of the decision-making process. The next RIIT meeting will take place on Zoom on Thursday, August 17 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
If you or others are interested in attending the meeting or learning more about the RIIT, please contact Edric Gagui, Immunization Outreach and Education Coordinator, at edric.gagui@childrenscolorado.org.
Immunize Colorado Offers Online Film Screening of Virulent: The Vaccine War
Immunize Colorado is excited to host an in-person screening of the filmĀ Virulent: The Vaccine WarĀ at theĀ Colorado Regional Immunization SummitĀ in June! Summit registration closes on Friday, May 26.Ā Ā
Can’t make it to the Summit? You can still join in the fun and watch the film from home! Tickets are just $15 and a portion of ticket sales will be donated back to Immunize Colorado. The film will be available to watch for a limited time from May 27 – June 5.
(Please note that Summit registrants will receive a link to watch the film online for FREE if they are unable to attend the in-person screening.)
New Data Tools Help Parents, Policymakers, and Schools Understand Their Communityās Vaccination Rates
Just 32 of 182 school districts in Colorado can boast student vaccination coverage rates of 95% or higher in all of their schools for all school-required vaccines (80% for Tdap). Thatās the goal set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesāĀ Healthy People 2030. Across the state, only 46% of students attend a school that achieved this level of coverage.Ā
These 32 districts made Immunize Coloradoās 2021/22 Immunity Community Honor Roll ā released this week ā which honors Colorado schools and school districts that achieve exceptional vaccine coverage. With 182 school districts across the state, this means just 18% of districts received this designation for the 2021/22 school year.
In addition to the Honor Roll, Immunize Colorado this week released dashboards and supplemental customized fact sheets for each Colorado school district, legislative district, and county that summarize school- and child care-level vaccination data from the 2021/22 school year made publicly available by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). These resources help child care and school staff, parents, policymakers, and the public understand the level of protection against preventable diseases in their community. The school-specific dashboards allow users to compare vaccination and exemption coverage between school districts and between schools, and to see how rates have changed over the years.
The dashboards and fact sheets demonstrate that across Colorado, vaccination coverage varies widely, as do exemption rates. (Parents can opt out of vaccinating their child by submitting a medical or nonmedical exemption to their childās school or child care.) In fact, county-level exemption rates range from 0% to 37.5% across the state; nearly a third of the stateās counties have vaccine exemption rates equal to or higher than 5%. Additionally, over 70,000 Colorado K-12 students entered school in 2021 without protection from one or more vaccines.
Over the years, these data tools have helped to increase education, communication, and coordination of efforts between local public health, school nurses and administrators, providers, families, and community members, and helped instigate collaboration on efforts to improve vaccination rates.
Colorado law requires all students attending Colorado schools and licensed child care centers to be vaccinated against certain diseases like pertussis, measles, and chicken pox. School communities with higher vaccination rates (and lower exemption rates) provide a safe learning and working environment for students and staff and are less likely to experience an outbreak of vaccine-preventable disease. Having accurate data on vaccination in a school setting is also critical to emergency response efforts.
About Immunize Colorado
Immunize Colorado is a statewide, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is to protect Colorado families, schools, and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunize Colorado does not accept funding from vaccine manufacturers or distributors. To learn more, visitĀ www.immunizecolorado.orgĀ and connect with Immunize Colorado onĀ FacebookĀ andĀ Twitter. Media inquiries can be directed to Emily Clancy at Emily.Clancy@childrenscolorado.org. Ā Ā
Immunize Colorado Welcomes New Executive Director
Immunize Colorado is thrilled to welcome to the teamĀ our new executive director, Emily Bustos!Ā Emily isĀ a Denver native and has worked in the government and nonprofit sectors for the last 20 years. Her experience as a community development specialist and liaison to many of Denverās underserved communities has given her the opportunity to work at the program and systemic levels of community building. Most recently, she led efforts to improve the school readiness of young children in Denver as CEO of Denverās Early Childhood Council. Emily brings to the executive director role extensive experience in nonprofit management, advocacy, leadership, partnership building, program management, and strategic planning.
Registration Now Open for the 2023 Colorado Regional Immunization Summit!
Early bird registration is now open for the 2023 Colorado Regional Immunization Summit, which will take place on June 8 (with a pre-Summit film screening of Virulent the evening of June 7) in Glenwood Springs, Colorado The Summit will provide the opportunity for those involved in immunization delivery, education, and advocacy to learn from world-renowned experts about strategies to promote immunization and enhance vaccine delivery in Colorado.
Full Summit details are available on our website, including information on session topics, hotel accommodations, Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) credit, the film screening, and registration.Ā