1. Kalamazoo County Adult Immunization Task Force
Kalamazoo County Human Services Department
Presented by Lynne Norman

2. Why is the task force beneficial?
Unified message to the community
Workload is truly shared by all coalition members
Number of influenza vaccinations given have increased each year, from 27,147 in 2000 to 31,657 in 2003
This coalition has been so helpful to me, with the difficult flu seasons we’ve faced these past 3 years this has been a wonderful asset.

3. Task force began winter of 2000
Initial goal was to bring together public health, health care provider offices, hospitals, aging and home health agencies to coordinate efforts to increase the number of persons 50 and over receiving influenza, pneumonia and tetanus vaccines.
In 1997, pneumonia and influenza together ranked 4th as cause of death in Kalamazoo County 3

4. Members Area Agencies on Aging Borgess CorpFit Borgess ProMed Offices
Borgess Visiting Nurses Association
Bronson Hospital Infection Control
Bronson Home Health Care
Chief Medical Officer for Kalamazoo County
Kalamazoo County Public Health Nurses
Public Health Preparedness Director
United Nursing Services
All of these agencies participate.

5. Through our members we reach:
All hospitals in the county
The majority of health care provider offices
The major home health agencies
All the major providers of influenza vaccine

6. Communications with members
Members are on an list
All CDC Influenza Bulletins are distributed through the group, as well as other pertinent immunization information
The members then forward the information on within their organization
Educational mailings go through group, using interoffice mail at no cost
Examples of mailings
Posters for health care providers waiting rooms
Use of vaccine standing orders information
Information is distributed quickly and at no cost to public health.

7. Major accomplishments in 2003 and 2004
Put up bill boards emphasizing the need for adult immunizations in October and November
Placed bill boards in areas of town with lowest immunization rates
Funding provided by a private sector, task force members
Mailings to all homes, with persons 50 or above, in targeted zip codes, expressing need for influenza vaccine
Letter signed by Dr. Tooker, Chief Medical Officer
Had excellent response to the letter
Cost of mailing covered by members
These accomplishments could not have happened without the funding provided by the private sector members.

8. Specific Flu Season Collaborations
We post each others flu hotline numbers and flu clinic schedules on each of our hotlines and web pages
Work together to be sure underserved populations are getting reached
We have flu clinics at area schools, with Visiting Nurses(unable to do 2004)
Visiting Nurses vaccinates persons over 18
We vaccinate persons under 18
From surveying the group in 2002 it was apparent that our older population had been adequately served, but, no one was offering flu vaccine to children in out clinics.

9. Influenza Vaccine delay or shortage issues
Use identical screening tool/protocols
Begin flu clinics at the same time through out the county
We all agree on a date to open clinics to low risk
We give a unified message to the media
Last December when most of us ran out of vaccine, one agency still had 400 doses. As a group we set up a plan of action so the highest risk would have access to those doses. We all called persons on our high risk lists to notify them of the vaccine availability.

10. 2004 Influenza Shortage
As a group we held an emergency meeting on October 7th, one day after CDC’s announcement
We then met twice the following week
We took inventory of available vaccine doses in the community
We choose to stop all influenza clinics for one week to regroup and assess our communities situation

11. 2004 Decisions
One large health organization had vaccine while many others had none
We looked at highest risk populations
Doses were sold to medical providers who served highest risk clients
As a group we picked one day to all hold clinics
This was an easy message for the media to get out for us
Our screening tools were identical

12. Influenza vaccinations given by selected immunizers
As you can see, since 2000, the number of flu shots administered by public health has declined while the total number given has increased. This has been a necessity given the decreased funding for public health in the state of Michigan over the past years.

13. Other benefits of group
Emergency preparedness collaborations
Regional Smallpox vaccination plan
County mass medication clinic planning
West Nile Virus information
Any information that needs to be quickly disseminated can effectively be sent through the list serve group.

14. Overview
This group has simplified communication between public health and the private health care provider
Given our community a unified, consistent message, when dealing with difficult flu seasons
Increased the number of persons receiving influenza vaccination
This group has been a god-send for Kalamazoo county during the last three, problematic flu seasons, and getting through the bioterrorism hurdles we now face.