Immunization
Local health departments vaccinate people in their communities, providing one of the most successful and cost-effective services to prevent disease and death. NACCHO is dedicated to strengthening local health departments' immunization infrastructure and building local health departments' capacity to implement evidence-based public health programs, policies, and services to meet national standards in preventing and controlling vaccine-preventable diseases.
Learn more about our work below and sign up for our monthly newsletter, The Immunization Insider, to receive the latest updates directly to your inbox.
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Learn more about NACCHO's Immunization program and some of the projects our team works on.
As the representatives of the over 3,330 local health departments (LHDs) across the country, NACCHO periodically surveys LHDs to better understand immunization programs, needs, opportunities, and capacity nationwide. NACCHO conducted nationally representative surveys in 2023 and 2017. Several of the items from the 2017 survey instrument were adapted for 2023 with the aim of identifying practice and capacity changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are links to the various reports and materials developed to share the data collected. The 2023 report contains comparisons to the 2017 data.
With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NACCHO, Johns Hopkins, AIM, ASTHO, NIHB, and the Institute for Vaccine Safety collaborated on a project to better understand how people are approaching decision-making regarding COVID-19 vaccination and what additional information they need to make an informed decision for themselves, their family, and their community. This project was multi-pronged and included a series of focus groups with African American, Latinx, and Native American community members to better understand decision-making factors as they consider a vaccine; and two national surveys to better understand interests, preferences, and factors that influence decision-making across the nation. The project findings are summarized in an infographic as well as reports from waves one, two, and three of the project.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NACCHO release a number of resources and hosted webinars to ensure local health departments had to most up to date information as developments happened. Below you can find an archive of resources, webinars, and podcasts that were developed and released during the pandemic regarding COVID-19 vaccination.
Webinars
- COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook and Planning for Local Health Departments (September 24, 2020)
- The Impact of COVID-19 on School Re-Opening (October 1, 2020)
- Pediatric Vaccine Guidance (November 9, 2020)
- Vaccine Administration Planning: Drive-thru Clinics and Other Innovative Ideas (November 12, 2020)
- Technology Approaches to Managing COVID-19 Vaccines (December 17, 2020)
- Engaging Communities to Increase Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines (January 7, 2021)
- Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Training and Education (January 12, 2021)
- Understanding Diverse Communities to Support Equitable and Informed COVID-19 Vaccine Decision Making (January 21, 2021)
- Increasing Vaccination Coverage Among Racial and Ethnic Groups: Lessons Learned from CDC’s REACH Program (January 26, 2021)
- Important Information for Healthcare Providers about Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (January 28, 2021)
- COVID-19 Vaccination Stories from the Field: Local Health Department & Pharmacy Partnerships (February 25, 2021)
- Federal Snapshot: CDC Guidance: When You've Been Fully Vaccinated (March 16, 2021)
- COVID-19 Vaccination Stories from the Field: Local Health Department Practices to Facilitate Equitable Vaccine Distribution and Access (March 18, 2021)
- Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and API for Vaccine Appointment Availability (March 23, 2021)
- Global, Regional, and Local Approaches to COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: Sharing lessons for World Immunization Week (April 27, 2021)
- COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Cases & Updated Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People (May 4, 2021)
- Community-Led COVID-19 Messaging that Supports Vaccine Confidence (May 11, 2021)
- COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Text Messaging Strategies (June 8, 2021)
- CDC Federal Snapshot: Updated Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People (June 15, 2021)
- Building Vaccine Confidence for COVID-19 Vaccines in Adolescents (June 22, 2021)
- Improving Adolescent Vaccine Coverage – Situation Assessment, Insights, and Tools You Can Use (July 29, 2021)
- Cultural Contexts of Resilience and Vulnerability: Global Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic (September 2, 2021)
- Shots at the Shop: How Local Health Departments Can Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations by Supporting Barber Shops and Salons (September 23, 2021)
- Flu Season Preparedness and Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic (October 19, 2021)
- COVID-19 Booster Vaccines (November 5, 2021)
- Pediatric Vaccine Guidance (November 9, 2021
Resources
On October 14, 2021, CDC released a Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Operational Planning Guide which focuses on key differences between an adult and adolescent vaccination program and one designed for younger children. The guide is based on current assumptions and will be updated as more information is available. NACCHO summarized this guide and pulled some of the high-level considerations from the guide for LHDs as they prepare to vaccinate this population here.
Innovative Ways to Maintain Immunization Coverage During a Pandemic: This Story from the Field highlights innovative ways some of NACCHO's Immunization workgroup members have worked to maintain immunization coverage in their communities during the pandemic.
High-Level Notes for CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations: On September 16, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) along with the Department of Defense (DOD) released multiple documents outlining the Trump Administration’s strategy for delivering and administering a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible once one is approved. NACCHO has reviewed the Playbook and pulled out the key messages that are particularly relevant for local health departments from each section and compiled them into a digest.
NACCHO has multiple policy statements on immunization issues, including:
- Access to School-Based Data
- Comprehensive Adolescent Health
- Comprehensive Immunization Programs- Addressing Immunizations Across the Lifespan
- Immunization Information Systems
- Influenza Vaccination for Health Care Personnel
- School and Child Care Immunization Requirements
- Smallpox Response
- Third-Party Billing for Immunization
- Vaccine Safety
- Vaccine Supply and Distribution
Visit our Policy and Advocacy page to see the policy statements and learn more about how to use policy statements.
Please note, this toolkit was developed in 2014 and resources may be outdated. NACCHO hopes to be able to update this toolkit soon.
NACCHO has created a toolkit with resources, templates, and tools for local health departments to use and develop capacity to bill third party payers for immunization, STD, TB, and HIV services. More than 200 resources have currently been collected from state billing guides, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, state health departments, local health departments, insurance companies, and vendors of products such as electronic medical records and billing clearinghouses.
The Billing for Clinical Services Toolkit provides information to local health departments that are interested in starting the process to bill public and private sector payers for immunization and other clinical services.
| Title | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NACCHO 2023 Immunization Profile Study Report Webinar | June 18, 2024 | NACCHO's Immunization and Research teams recently released 2023 Immunization Profile Study Report. This webinar discusses the findings of this study, the current state of local health department immunization programs, and how they have evolved since the last study conducted in 2017. Current challenges, needs, and successes of immunizations at the local level and how this data can shape the work moving forward were shared. |
| 2023 Adult Vaccine Schedule | March 16, 2023 | CDC shared revisions recently accepted by ACIP to the adult immunization schedule. |
| National Immunization Coverage Data with CDC | January 18, 2023 | Representatives from CDC joined this webinar to discuss the recently released 2022 National Immunization Survey Data. They shared disparities in vaccinations as well as CDC's routine vaccination catch up activities. |
| Vaccine Administration Planning: Drive-thru Clinics and Other Innovative Ideas | November 12, 2020 | Informative presentations from Boulder County Public Health, Ottawa County Department of Public Health, and Loudoun County Health Department on lessons learned, best practices, and experiences with drive-thru vaccination clinics. |
| Mumps in U.S. Detention Facilities | August 28, 2019 | Speakers discussed the mumps outbreaks in U.S. detention facilities; the complex operations for managing custody of detainees in detention facilities; the important roles of local, state, and federal partners in responding to outbreaks in detention facilities; and resources to assist with response efforts. |
| Talking About Vaccines: Lessons Learned from CDC Research with Parents and Healthcare Professionals | August 1, 2019 | Allison Fisher (CDC/NCIRD) and Elizabeth Ryan (Northrop Grumman-TEKsystems Contractor, CDC/NCIRD) presented key findings from CDC’s communication research with pregnant women, parents of young children, adolescents, and healthcare professionals. |
| Communications Principles to Address Vaccine Hesitancy | June 13, 2019 | Discussed ways to dispel common myths and misinformation associated with vaccine-preventable diseases and illustrate effective ways to address groups resistant to embrace the benefits of vaccines in a non-confrontational way. |
| TITLE | DATE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Podcast from Washington: Experts Discuss Key Findings from NACCHO's Recent Immunization Study | July 2024 | On this podcast, NACCHO’s Kellie Hall, Director of Data Communications; Robin Mowson, Director of Immunization; and Amy Maxson, Senior Program Analyst, discussed key findings from the 2023 Immunization Profile Study released last month. |
| Podcast from Washington: Public Health on the Hill Recap and Local Health Department Addresses the US Measles Outbreak | March 2024 | Join us as we review NACCHO's recently released 2023 Immunization Profile Study Report. We will discuss the findings of this study, the current state of local health department immunization programs, and how they have evolved since the last study conducted in 2017. We will address the current challenges, needs, and successes of immunizations at the local level and how this data can shape the work moving forward. |
| Podcast from Washington: Local Leaders Use Radio to Reach English and Spanish Speakers about Vaccines and Immunizations | April 2023 | Nicholas Holmes spoke with Kate Guzman, the administrator of medical services for the Oakland County Health Division, in Pontiac, Michigan and Carolina Sisiruca, health educator with Centro Multicultural La Familia, about using radio to reach English and Spanish speakers about the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations and other immunizations. They are the developers and co-hosts of the Oakland County Health radio broadcast show – a public health segment that has caught the attention of NPR leaders and has captivated audiences with public health content that empowers listeners to make informed decisions to improve and protect their health and wellbeing. |
| Podcast from Washington: Federal Funding Priorities for 2023 and LHD's Mpox Response | October 2022 | We talk about one of the latest outbreaks – mpox – with Dr. Philip Huang, Director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services, Andres Meléndez Salgado, MPH, Manager of the Public Health Emergencies and Environmental Health Unit of the New Orleans Health Department, and Dr. Judith Shlay, Associate Director of the Public Health Institute at Denver Health. We discuss how local health departments are working to reach populations at risk for mpox and how lessons learned from COVID-19 response are helping local jurisdictions to address mpox. (note: this episode was recorded prior to the change in terminology from monkeypox to mpox). |
| Podcast from Washington: NACCHO’s ACIP Liaison Matt Zahn | November 2021 | In this podcast, Ian Goldstein speaks with Matt Zahn, Deputy Health Officer for the Orange County Health Care Agency and the NACCHO liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. They discuss the role of the liaison as well as the role of local health officials on the ACIP. |
| Podcast from Washington: National Influenza Vaccination Week | December 2020 | Ian Goldstein spoke with Dr. L.J. Tan, Chief Strategy Officer for the Immunization Action Coalition and Co-Chair for the National Adult Immunization Summit and National Influenza Vaccine Summit. They discussed how this year's flu season will help prepare the field for the rollout and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, and the role of the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit's (NAIIS) work to address and resolve influenza immunization issues. |
| Podcast from Washington: World Immunization Week with CDC's Dr. William Schluter and NACCHO CEO Lori Tremmel Freeman | April 2020 | Ian Goldstein is joined by NACCHO CEO Lori Tremmel Freeman to discuss the importance of World Immunization Week. They also talk about the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic and how NACCHO is serving local health departments. Ian Goldstein also talks with Dr. William Schluter, Director of the Global Immunization Division in the Center for Global Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mr. Goldstein and Dr. Schluter discussed World Immunization Week (April 24 to 30) and the importance of immunization in improving the health and well-being of individuals worldwide. They also discussed the many gains that have been made in immunization globally and where challenges still exist. |
| Podcast from Washington: CDC's Dr. Melinda Wharton | December 6, 2018 | Ian Goldstein spoke with the Director of Immunization Services Division at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Melinda Wharton. They discussed the history of National Influenza Vaccination Week and how important vaccinations are at all stages of life. They also discussed how local health departments can encourage their communities to get vaccinated. |