In support of National Immunization Awareness Month, HRSA urges health centers and health care providers to “catch-up to get ahead” on childhood immunizations. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to alarming declines in well-child visits and routine immunization rates. This raises the risk for outbreaks and further strain on our nation’s health care system.
To increase childhood immunization rates, HHS is coordinating the “Catch-Up to Get Ahead” effort. We encourage health centers to improve access to essential immunization services by:
- Extending hours (e.g., on nights and weekends) specifically for the administration of catch-up vaccines.
- Informing parents about the COVID-19 safety precautions and practices your health center has in place and encouraging them to bring in their children for vaccinations.
- Using social media messages and graphics from the Catch-Up to Get Ahead Toolkit in digital communication efforts. Be sure to use the hashtag #CatchUpGetAhead!
- Communicating the importance of childhood immunizations. Watch this message from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
Join the Conversation: Let Us Know about Your “Catch-Up to Get Ahead” Efforts
Share how your health center is helping children in your community to catch up on their vaccines during National Immunization Awareness Month. Take these steps to tell us about your successes and innovative efforts to promote childhood vaccinations:
- Provide a brief description of how your health center promoted vaccinations. You can even provide a photo of the staff involved (please include names of everyone in the picture). NOTE: Health center staff ONLY. Please do not include patients!
- If you send a photo, please make sure each person featured in your photo has signed a HRSA Photo Release Form.
- Send an email including the brief description and, if you choose, the photo and all photo releases to the Digest mailbox by Friday, September 4.
We may share your photo or story in the Digest or on HRSA social media. Thank you for helping patients catch-up to get ahead!
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