Alaska Department of Health News Update: State group partners with Alaska Commercial stores to promote vaccination

March 5, 2012 

Contact:  Ann Potempa, DHSS, (907) 269-7957, Cell (907) 230-4001, ann.potempa@alaska.gov
Sarana Schell, DHSS, (907) 269-8041, Cell (907) 398-1480, sarana.schell@alaska.gov
Alan McCollor, Alaska Commercial Company, (907) 227-9995, amccollor@northwest.ca

State group partners with Alaska Commercial stores to promote vaccination

Vaccinated children can enter drawing for toy husky dog signed by Iditarod champion 

ANCHORAGE — Vaccinate Alaska Coalition is partnering with Alaska Commercial Company (AC) stores in 17 communities during the Iditarod race in the “I Did It By TWO!” campaign to promote vaccination of children, on time, every time.

Parents of young children who are up-to-date on their vaccinations can enter their children’s names in a drawing for a free toy husky dog that wears a collar signed by four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser. The participating Alaska Commercial stores will display the toy dogs, conduct the drawing, and award the dog. Contact participating AC stores for the date and time of drawing and for more details. (A complete list of participating communities is at the end of this press release.) All state public health centers are participating in the “I Did It By TWO!” toy husky dog project.

The Iditarod Race commemorates the 1925 Serum Run, a dog team relay from Nenana to Nome to bring serum needed to stop a deadly diphtheria outbreak. Today, the Iditarod Trail Committee and Vaccinate Alaska Coalition, a nonprofit organization, honor this “Race to Vaccinate” with the “I Did It By TWO!” campaign to increase awareness of the importance of timely childhood immunization. At the ceremonial Iditarod Race start, many dogs wear jackets that display the campaign message “Immunize Alaska’s Kids.”

“Children need the majority of their vaccinations in the first two years of life.  That is the time when they are most vulnerable to serious, but preventable, diseases like measles, whooping cough, and flu,” said Doreen Stangel, who works for the Alaska Immunization Program and serves as the liaison to Vaccinate Alaska Coalition. “On-time vaccinations protect children at age 2 from 14 preventable diseases. We see increased risk because 1 in 3 children in Alaska are not fully immunized by the time they are 2 years old.”

For additional information about childhood vaccinations, contact the Alaska Immunization Program at 1-888-430-4321 or 269-8088, or visit http://epi.alaska.gov/immunize.

Below is a list of communities where AC stores, public health centers, and other clinics are working together to promote childhood immunization through the “I Did It By TWO!” campaign:

Barrow — North Slope Borough Wellness Center

Bethel — Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital, Bethel Public Health Center, Bethel Family Clinic

Cordova ­— Cordova Public Health Center, Ilanka Community Health Center

Craig — Craig Public Health Center

Dillingham ­— Dillingham Public Health Center

Fort Yukon — Yukon Flats Health Center, Fort Yukon Public Health Office

Hooper Bay — Hooper Bay Sub-Regional Clinic

Klawock — Alicia Roberts Medical Center

Kotlik —Kotlik Clinic

Kotzebue —Maniilaq Public Health Nursing

Mountain Village — George Waskey Memorial Clinic

Nome — Nome Public Health Center

Pilot Station — Pilot Station Clinic

Saint Michael — Katherine Kobuk Memorial Clinic

Saint Paul — Saint Paul Health Center

Unalakleet — Anikkan Inuit Iluaqutaat Sub-Regional Clinic

Yakutat — Yakutat Community Health Center

 

Below is a list of other locations where childhood immunization providers are participating in the 2012 Vaccinate Alaska Coalition “I Did It By TWO!” toy husky dog project:

Anchorage
Municipality of Anchorage, Public Health Center Alaska Family Medicine Associates Dr. James D. Briggs Dr. Mary Ann Jacob Full Spectrum Pediatrics Alaska Regional Hospital NICU Polar Pediatrics Family Practice Associates LaTouche Pediatrics The Children’s Clinic
Delta Junction Delta Junction Public Health Center
Fairbanks Fairbanks Public Health Center Tanana Valley Clinic
Haines Haines Public Health Center
Homer Homer Public Health Center Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic
Juneau Juneau Public Health Center Glacier Pediatrics
Kenai Kenai Public Health Center
Ketchikan Ketchikan Public Health Center
King Salmon Camai Community Health Center
Kodiak Kodiak Public Health Center McGrath McGrath Health Center
Nome Nome Public Health Center
Palmer Palmer Family Medicine
Petersburg Petersburg Public Health Center
Seward Seward Public Health Center
Sitka Sitka Public Health Center Mountainside Family Healthcare
Tok Tok Public Health Center
Valdez Valdez Public Health Center
Wasilla Ptarmigan Pediatrics Family Medicine of Alaska Lighthouse Family Medicine Mat-Su Health Services Mat-Su Public Health Center Wrangell Alaska Island Community Services Wrangell Public Health Center

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