Promoting Immunizations: Recent Campaigns & Events

The Immunize LA Kids Coalition and its partners help to spread the word about immunizations and effective strategies for improving immunization rates by participating in national and regional immunization campaigns as well as hosting educational and outreach events to reach parents, community members, and healthcare providers.

Celebrating National Infant Immunization Week, April 2007
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual national campaign that puts the spotlight on the importance of childhood immunizations. Immunize LA Kids joined its partners, the South Los Angeles Health Projects (SLAHP) WIC Program; Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church; and the Office of City of Los Angeles Councilmember Jan Perry, Ninth Council District, to offer a health fair on Saturday, April 14, 2007. The fair provided free immunizations and other health-related services, information, and referrals, including vision and dental screenings, blood pressure checks, diabetes testing, and referrals for resources including health insurance, substance abuse treatment, and shelters to almost 100 families. For many families in our area, this is one of their few opportunities to access these services.

We also launched a media outreach campaign to reach young African American parents and grandparents in our community. Our 60-second public service announcement aired during prime radio hours on KJLH 102.3 FM along with an interview with Oliver Brooks, MD, of Watts Healthcare Corporation, our Coalition Chair.

It’s a Family Affair: Compton Family Health Collaborative Health Fair, August 2007
For the sixth year in a row, Immunize LA Kids teamed up with the Compton Family Health Collaborative and the SLAHP WIC Program to offer an annual Back to School Immunization Health Fair at SLAHP’s Compton WIC center. The 2007 health fair was held on August 18, 2007 and was attended by over 850 individuals. Attendees received free childhood and adolescent immunizations; lead poisoning testing; cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes screenings; vision and hearing tests; and information on community resources, including SLAHP’s Best Babies Collaborative (funded by the Los Angeles First 5 Commission).

2nd Annual Los Angeles County Immunization Recognition Event: Celebrating Excellence in Immunization Practices, August 2007
On August 15, 2007, the Coalition joined with the Immunization Coalition of Los Angeles County and its partners, to host the 2nd Annual Los Angeles County Immunization Recognition Event: Celebrating Excellence in Immunization Practices. The awards dinner provided a unique opportunity to recognize providers with high immunization rates and model immunization practices in front of their peers, share strategies and best practices, and provide the most current immunization information. Continuing Medical Education units were provided and the evening included a presentation by Dean Blumberg, MD, FAAP of UC Davis Medical Center on new developments in the vaccine world. Over 200 physicians, nurses, staff, and immunization partners joined us for this evening of education and celebration.

National Adult Immunization Awareness Week, September 2007
Immunizations are not just for kids! Newer vaccines that protect against shingles, pertussis, and the human papillomavirus have joined other vaccines that have been available to protect teens and adults from serious vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis. Through its leadership on the California Adult Immunization Coalition, Immunize LA Kids helped to promote awareness of adult immunizations through a statewide National Adult Immunization Awareness Week (NAIAW) campaign held September 23-29, 2007. We helped to develop a comprehensive online NAIAW toolkit that includes fully scripted and CME-ready slide presentations, adult immunization schedules, information on newly recommended vaccines, reminder postcards, and a Healthcare Worker Vaccination Toolkit. Visit www.immunizecaadults.org to download these tools.

Want to learn how you can support future events and campaigns? Contact us today.