Immunization Reminders

[zenman]

What procedure do you use to remind parents of immunizations? I think we go overboard. Parents already know what is required when their kids first start school. We recently started requiring chicken pox vaccinations and posted it on our newletter and website. My fellow nurse wants to send out letters also. I'm not for sending out hundreds of letters as they did so last year and still had to send out more reminders after school started. I'm just for telling parents, "sorry, your kid only has a few days left unless you get with the program."

[bergren]

"Parents already know what is required when their kids

first start school. " How would they know? a lot of MDs don't know.

What percent of parents read the newsletter? Access the website? If it is a state requirement and interferes with the school's ability to provide education, its mission, letters, public service announcements, emails, notifications to providers, HMOs, having the health department provide immunizations at open house, Kindergarten round-up. etc - what ever it takes is justified to make sure no child who is eager to learn is turned away on the first day of school.

In several parts of the country, school districts, health departments, HMOs and corporations join together to increase full immunization by the first day of school and prevent needless lost class time.

Strategies have included feature articles in newspapers, open access for immunizations, immunizations at convenient locations - ie Target.

http://www.parknicollet.com/foundation/community-connectivity/noshots_noschool.cfm

http://www.minuteclinic.com/Home/About/Press/View/tabid/83/Default.aspx?DocumentId=testpr01

The effort to prevent exclusion should start in January the year before, not in late August. Preventing exclusion is one of the best ways to reinforce the nurse's role in supporting the education mission of the school. But it takes the entire community to come together to meet this public health goal.

[Jo Dirt]

I think children are overvaccinated as it is.