e a followup letter and a reminder phone call and are offered a $10 gift certificate for keeping the appointment.
"The Good Health Check-up Program makes about 250 phone calls a month and about 75% of appointments made through this program are kept," said Ken Tilly, Director of Quality Management for the Health Plan. Because trust and transportation issues were among the barriers, we are also collaborating with senior centers all over Contra Costa to host flu clinics and enlisting African-American churches to help with educational efforts.
"People age 65 and older are at risk of dying from the flu, and getting a flu vaccine is the best way to prevent it. We want to reach all who are at increased risk," said Erika Jenssen, Immunization Registry Coordinator.
Specialized posters and cling-on decals are being sent to Public Health clinics, churches, senior centers and community-based organizations to help get the word out about the importance of flu vaccination.
Many children receive shots from multiple providers, making it difficult for providers and parents to track immunizations. The 10-year-old Contra Costa Automated Immunization Registry (CCAIR) is a computerized system that tracks immunization records for adults and children in Contra Costa.
Last year 90,828 immunizations for 30,874 patients were logged into CCAIR by our staff. Schools, community clinics and health care providers are being encouraged to join the registry. Because West Contra Costa historically has lower immunization rates than the rest of the county, efforts are being made to include the West Contra Costa Unified School District and MediCal providers in West County in the system. Our Child Health and Disability Prevention Program and CCHP are also working to reach MediCal providers to increase participation in the system.
WIC staff, along with Public Health, work with clients to verify that children are up-to-date on immunizations; they update the Immunization Registry and refer clients to providers if shots are missing. The system began as a pilot in Concord and, due to the dramatic improvement in immunization rates, has been expanded to all WIC sites. "The Registry is a great system and it works both during emergencies and on a day-to-day basis," said Erika Jenssen, Immunization Registry Coordinator.
"After Hurricane Katrina, many Louisiana children came to our county. We were granted access to Louisiana's Immunization Registry and were able to get children into school right away."
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Content provided by the Reducing Health Disparities Initiative.