Immunization Champions

Crucial for improving and sustaining immunization rates is implementation of “reminder/recall” systems. Once established, these systems remind parents about upcoming immunizations and recall children who are overdue for vaccines. Reminder/recall systems are effective for young children, adolescents and for adults. The Immunization Champions project helps health care clinics increase their immunization rates and implement a sustainable system to maintain these rates. Not only do they benefit from raising rates, they also learn more about immunization “best practices” along the way.

 

The Immunization Champions project places health care students in clinics throughout Harris County where they implement reminder/recall systems and promote immunization “best practices”. Clinic staff and students collaborate during the project to assure that the new systems and practices are sustained long after the student leaves the clinic. This program transforms students into Immunization Champions, while ensuring that clinics have a sustainable method for keeping children up to date with immunizations.

This project was developed as a collaborative between The Immunization Partnership, Houston Community College’s Coleman College for Health Sciences and The Rotary Clubs of Houston.
 

A recent Health Information Technology program graduate of HCC’s Coleman College, Abayomi works part-time as an Immunization Champion and part-time in Medical Records for Central Care Community Health Center.  His technology background fits well as Central Care is transitioning to a new electronic medical record system.  Tracking children’s immunization status will be easier with the new system, but for the time being, he’ll do it the old-fashioned way, byscreening each record in the paper chart and in ImmTrac, Texas’s immunization information system.  Abayomi says that this project has broadened his knowledge of the health care field as he puts his health information technology education to work.

 

 

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Patricia graduated from Coleman College’s Medical Assistant program and puts her skills to work at the Ibn Sina Clinic as their Immunization Champion.  She’s the “go to” for many immunization questions and has a great understanding of the complex immunization schedule, both pediatric and adult.  Ibn Sina Clinic sees patients from many  countries and their shot records are often a challenge to review, but Patricia has the resources & knowledge to make sure that each patient receives the appropriate immunizations.