Get your patients back on track with routine vaccinations.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This annual observance highlights the efforts of pro viders to protect patients of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases through on-time vaccination.
This year, NIAM serves as an important reminder to catch up on routine visits and vaccinations that may have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During NIAM, encourage your patients to schedule appointments to ensure they are up to date on annual exams and recommended vaccines. Research has consistently shown that healthcare providers are the most trusted source of vaccine information for parents and patients.
Use NIAM as an opportunity to access CDC educational resources like the #HowIRecommend Video Series, which offers simple and practical guidance for having successful vaccine conversations with parents and patients. These short videos demonstrate how to make effective vaccine recommendations, address common vaccine questions, and take a team-based approach to vaccination.
For those patients who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, you play a critical role in helping vaccine recipients understand the importance of vaccination and that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Check out this toolkit on Talking to Recipients about COVID-19 Vaccination, where you will find resources to help you share clear and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines, raise awareness about the benefits of vaccination, and address common questions and concerns about what to expect when getting vaccinated.
Beginning Wednesday, July 19, 2023, the Maine Immunization Program will be hosting a “Vaccine Coordinator Education” webinar which will be ongoing and take place every third Wednesday of each month.
This webinar will cover the requirements and responsibilities of providers participating in the program. The material covered will be a great refresher for anyone who is currently participating in the program and ideal for someone who is new to the coordinator role. This webinar is required for all new vaccine coordinators.
Topic: MIP Vaccine Coordinator's Training
Time: Jul 19, 2023, 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Jul 19, 2023 12:00 PM
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Aug 16, 2023 12:00 PM
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Sep 20, 2023 12:00 PM
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Oct 18, 2023 12:00 PM
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Nov 15, 2023 12:00 PM
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Dec 20, 2023 12:00 PM
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Jan 17, 2024 12:00 PM
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Feb 21, 2024 12:00 PM
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Mar 20, 2024 12:00 PM
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Apr 17, 2024 12:00 PM
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May 15, 2024 12:00 PM
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Jun 19, 2024 12:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 814 0807 4198
Passcode: 34119749
How can we quickly determine how to "catch up" children who have fallen behind on their shots?
A: As a general rule, infants or children who are more than 1 month or 1 dose behind schedule should be on an accelerated schedule, which means the intervals between doses should be reduced to the minimum allowable. Catch-up schedules for children ages 4 months through 18 years are included in Table 2 of each year's recommended immunization schedule for children and adolescents, approved by the ACIP, CDC, and all other major professional organizations of healthcare providers who care for children. To review Table 2, go to www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/index.html and open the current schedule for children and adolescents. |
The deadline for some upcoming program requirements was July 1, 2023. If you have not yet completed your requirements, you may experience an interruption in your ability to order vaccine.
DUE by JULY 1:
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Provider Agreement
- The Provider Agreement has been updated and is available through ImmPact.
- Vaccine shipments will be suspended for sites without an approved Provider Agreement.
- Data Logger Calibration Certificate
- MIP-enrolled sites must submit a copy of their calibration certificates for all primary and backup data loggers that are used to monitor the temperatures in units that store MIP vaccine. These can be emailed to: ImmunizeME.DHHS@maine.gov or faxed to: 207-287-8127.
- Vaccine Need
- Your vaccine need profile represents populations served by the MIP-enrolled site during the most recent 12 months and helps MIP determine how much vaccine to supply to each site. This is located within ImmPact on the left-hand toolbar under ‘Maintenance’.
For ALL ImmPact Users
DUE by JULY 1:
MIP ImmPact User Agreement
- MIP requires all users to submit a signed ImmPact user agreement to continue to have access to the ImmPact system. User agreements are being honored starting June 1st, 2023.
- If an ImmPact user agreement has not been submitted, the user’s access to ImmPact will be terminated until a completed form has been sent in. Please submit all completed ImmPact user agreement forms to ImmPact.Support@maine.gov
For ALL primary and secondary vaccine coordinators
DUE between JULY 1 and OCTOBER 1:
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Vaccines for Children annual educational training and post-test.
- Any trainings completed prior to July 1 will not count toward satisfying the requirement in the upcoming fiscal year (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024). All providers must complete the training and post-test by October 1 of each cooperative agreement period.
- The combined trainings and post-tests are located on the following webpage: Annual Education Requirement |Immunization | MeCDC | Maine DHHS. Failure to complete this education requirement will impact your ability to order vaccines within ImmPact.
Please see MIP’s Provider Policy and Procedure Manual for reference.
We have received reports from providers stating that some varicella vaccine shipments are arriving without temperature monitors.
The best course of action is for providers to call Merck's National Service Center (NSC) at 1-800-444-2080 with any questions or concerns.
Not all boxes require the temperature monitor and there are indicators on the packing slip to help providers understand if the shipment should have a temperature monitor. The NSC should be able to help providers determine this.
Beginning in mid-July, some ancillary kits distributed with COVID-19 vaccine have an expiration date on the exterior of the package that has passed. However, the expiration date printed on the exterior box of the ancillary kit does not apply to all the items contained in the kit.
Please, do not discard the entire kit based on the date printed on the exterior label. The date on the exterior box of the ancillary kit reflects the expiry date for the surgical masks and the face shields. The expiration date for other supplies (needles, syringes, alcohol prep pads, etc.) are printed on the individual packaging on these products.
Please check the expiration dates of each individually packaged product in the ancillary kit to determine whether it remains good-dated and may be used. Never use expired equipment. Any expired products should be disposed of using normal means.
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