1. VHETS: “Lessons Learned”
National Hepatitis Coordinator’s Conference, January 2003
Teresa A. Anderson, DDS, MPH
Immunization Action Coalition
1573 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: (651)
Fax: (651)
IAC
Good afternoon,
Never given an opportunity to talk about IAC exclusively. So here we go.
If you didn’t know, IAC is a creator and publisher of information for health professionals and their patients.
We started as a local grassroots coalition.

2. IAC’s VHET objectives Develop hepatitis prevention training packets
Develop a publication for OB/GYNS
Maintain a hepatitis programs website
Design and print an adult immunization record card
Publish NEEDLE TIPS
Publish VACCINATE ADULTS!
Maintain website for providers and public
Publish weekly listserv

3. Objective 1 Hepatitis prevention training packet
Intended to teach basics to:
Planned Parenthood clinics
Title X clinics
College health services
Health Care for the Homeless staff
GLBT clinics
Includes 2 videos and other resources

4. Objective 1: the good news
Orders for 2,500 manuals from a variety of settings
ACOG will pay for manuals for all OB/GYN residency programs
National organizations have helped promote

5. Objective 1: the bad news
Has taken much longer to develop than anticipated

6. Objective 2 VACCINATE WOMEN
Two issues published: Winter 2001, Fall 2002
ACOG paid for printing and mailing of issue #1 (and will for issue #3)
Sent to 35,000 OB/GYNs and residents
Very positive response: 72% called it “very helpful” and 25% “moderately helpful”

7. VACCINATE WOMEN

8. Objective 3 Hepatitis programs website: www.hepprograms.org
Launched March 2001
32 programs in 7 categories

9. Objective 3: “hepprograms”
As of December 2002
80 featured programs in 10 categories
14 recommendations
52 links to articles or abstracts
28 related organizations
21 resources for providers
approximately 250 visitors/day
Approximately 280 visitors/day

11. Objective 4 Adult immunization record card
Developed with the help of CDC and states
Printed 950,000 and counting
Customized for health departments & CDC
Distributed free to high-risk settings

12. Adult Vaccination Record Cards!

13. Objective 5 NEEDLE TIPS Published twice/year
Distributed to 180,000 health professionals, including pediatricians, family physicians, nurses, residents

15. Objective 6 VACCINATE ADULTS! Published twice/year
Distributed to 160,000 health professionals, including internists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, nurses, and residents

17. Objective 7 Provider website: www.immunize.org
Averages over 4,000 visitors/day
1.5 million pages downloaded in a year
All Coalition print materials available free
Continually updated and expanded

23. New “Topics of Interest”
Give the birth dose
International adoption
Bioterrorism information
Immunization exemption issues
Tattooing and body piercing
Immunization and HCWs
Improving immunization practices
IZ disparities by race, ethnicity, SES, age
Answering immunization critics

25. Objective 8 The Coalition’s listserv, IAC EXPRESS
Weekly publication with an occasional “Double Express”
Over 16,000 subscribers
First issue: November 1997

27. New objective
Start a listserv dedicated to issues related to hepatitis A, B, and C
Coming soon… HEPEXPRESS!

28. Lessons learned? Work with other organizations Increases credibility
Avoids “reinventing the wheel”
Saves money

29. Lessons learned? Provide what people need and want
Customized record cards
Information on tattooing and body piercing
How to answer immunization critics
“Medical errors” piece for coordinators

30. Lessons learned? Build on established strengths
Publishing VACCINATE WOMEN was fairly easy as IAC had experience with NEEDLE TIPS & VACCINATE ADULTS
Developing a completely new manual for non-vaccinators has been hard!