Childhood Immunizations | Vaccines for Children Program | Adolescent Immunizations | Adult Immunizations | Assessment | Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention | Information and Education | Service Delivery

Childhood Immunizations

The Arizona Immunization Program Office (AIPO) works with the public and private sector to reach the Year 2010 goal of immunizing 90% of Arizona's children by age two with the recommended vaccines.

Vaccines for Children Program (VFC)

The Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) provides free vaccine to enrolled public and private providers for administration of vaccines to the following children:

• Medicaid enrolled (AHCCCS);
• Uninsured;
• Native American/Alaskan Native; and 
• Some underinsured.

AIPO manages the VFC program in Arizona through vaccine ordering, distribution, management and accountability. VFC providers receive site visits for technical assistance in vaccine storage and handling, compliance with recommended eligibility screening, immunization schedules and compliance with VFC requirements.

Updates from the Arizona Immunization Program Vaccine Center

There are some very important Vaccines for Children (VFC) policy changes that will affect all VFC providers, whether you are a private immunization provider, public provider, hospital or county health department. The two one-page handouts explain how these changes will impact insured and underinsured children and your practice.

Please help us distribute these vaccine policy changes to your immunization partners:

• Vaccine Policy Changes
• Vaccine Policy Change Letter
• Underinsured – Vaccine Policy Change Summary
• Insured – Vaccine Policy Change Summary

• 11/25/11 Update
• 10/15/11 Update
• 04/20/11 Update

2011 VFC Operations Guide

The VFC program has forms available for providers enrolled in the program. These forms include:

• Childhood/Adolescent Immunization Administration Record
  • Adult Immunization Administration Record
  • Influenza Administration Record
• Incident Report for Temperatures Outside the Normal Range
• Arizona VFC Patient Immunization Log
• Influenza Vaccine Order/Reporting Form
• Wasted/Expired Influenza Vaccine Return Form
• Viable Influenza Vaccine Transfer Form
• Available Arizona VFC Vaccine & Age Guidelines
• Vaccine Order/Reporting Form
• Wasted/Expired Form
• Viable Transferred Vaccine Return Form
• Forms Request
• Temperature Log
• VFC Eligibility and KidsCare Accountability Form
• Vaccine Management Plan
• CDC Vaccine Storage and Handling Guide

Adolescent Immunizations

Promotion of adolescent immunizations has increasingly become a focus of AIPO and strategies have been initiated promoting adolescent immunization. The number of school-based immunization programs providing on-site immunization clinics has steadily increased, and more clinics are offering Hepatitis B, Td boosters and second MMR.

Adult Immunizations

Promotion of adult immunizations is an ongoing focus of AIPO. The program provides technical assistance to county health departments and community health centers for adult immunization programs.  AIPO also works in collaboration with other community groups through participation in the Arizona Partnership for Adult Immunizations (APAI). APAI is a coalition focused on raising awareness among healthcare providers and the public about the need to increase adult immunization coverage.  The coalition meets monthly to plan influenza and other education campaigns.  

Since 1997, all county health departments and community/migrant health centers have been encouraged to enroll as Medicare providers. This is done in order to provide influenza and pneumococcal vaccine to Medicare recipients. An increasing number of county health departments have established adult immunization clinics and offer hepatitis B, Td boosters and MMR.

Assessment

• 2011-2012
• Childcare Coverage
• Kindergarten Coverage
• 6th Grade Coverage
• 10th Grade Coverage

• 2010-2011
• Childcare Coverage
• Kindergarten Coverage
• 6th Grade Coverage
• 10th Grade Coverage

Hepatitis B Prevention

The Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program focuses primarily on 1) testing all pregnant women for hepatitis B virus and 2) ensuring the appropriate prophylactic treatment of infants born to hepatitis B positive women or to women whose antigen status is unknown. Additionally, testing and hepatitis B immunizations are offered to all household and sexual contacts of the positive woman.

Comprehensive adolescent "catch up" programs have also been initiated in schools, juvenile correctional facilities and other high risk areas for hepatitis B virus infection.

Information and Education

Information and Education (I&E) activities are incorporated into all components of the Arizona Immunization Program Office. The I&E program coordinates with agencies around the state to offer satellite video conference broadcasts from the CDC. AIPO hosts these broadcasts in Maricopa County.  Each year AIPO hosts the Arizona Immunization Conference with key speakers from the CDC and state organizations.  I&E also works with county health departments and community health centers to promote National Infant Immunization Week during April and publishes the quarterly newsletter Immunications.

AIPO distributes all federally required immunization information to providers, including the most current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) which are provided to individuals before receipt of vaccine(s). In addition, AIPO provides the Official State Immunization Record Card (designed to resemble a U.S. passport) free of charge to all public and private providers in Arizona. The immunization card is included in new mother immunization packets distributed to Arizona birthing hospitals, so that the child's first hepatitis B immunization can be recorded in the booklet.

Service Delivery

Service delivery enhancement includes identifying "pockets of need" where children are under-immunized and underserved. All public and private providers are strongly encouraged to follow the "Standards of Pediatric and adolescent Immunization Practices" and the "Standards of Adult Immunization Practice" which describe methods to increase service delivery by identifying and eliminating barriers to immunization. These include providing evening and weekend clinic hours, conducting outreach clinics, using reminder/recall practices, administering all vaccines necessary at each visit, following true contraindications and educating parents about immunizations.