Mark your calendars! 

Planning is underway for the 2020 California Immunization Coalition Summit. The two-day event will be June 9 and 10 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento. Our annual Summit is an opportunity to connect with partners, celebrate our collaborative successes, and focus our efforts. Note, this year's Summit will be later than usual due to scheduling conflicts. Watch for updates and details about abstract submission, and registration on our website and in future issues of the Vaccine Booster. Make your hotel reservations here.

Do you know someone whose work in immunization deserves special recognition? Consider nominating that person-or group-for a CIC Immunization Champion Award.

Each year CIC presents two very special awards, one typically to a community member and the other to a provider. Awards are presented at the annual CIC Summit luncheon.

Nomination forms and details will be posted on the CIC website with Summit updates soon.  

CIC recently launched a new prenatal immunization page.  The page includes links to the latest resources, including an order form for prenatal care providers (courtesy of CDPH's Genetic Disease Screening Program) wishing to receive free CDPH materials such the prenatal brochure," Immunizations for a Healthy Pregnancy"  and the flyer " Expecting? Protect Yourself and your baby against flu and whooping cough."  

Please share these great resources with prenatal care providers and those working closely with pregnant women.

Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans focus on specific measurable outcomes in immunization for their covered populations. This presents a great opportunity for partnership. Join us for the next CIC Education Hour on Tuesday, December 3rd to learn more about how you can work with health plans in your community to improve immunization rates.

The Ed Hour will include an overview of the measures that health plans must work toward and brief overviews of several successful local California partnerships that used collaborations to improve rates in adolescents, 2 year olds, back to school programs and pregnant women. Don't miss this chance to share ideas, ask questions, and consider ways to open the door to potential new partners in vaccine advocacy!

The education hour will take place on December 3, 2019 at 12:00pm click here for more information and to register click here. 

The holidays are nearly here. Just because you transitioned

from Pumpkin Spice to Peppermint doesn't mean it too late for flu vaccine. Flu coverage data suggests few people get vaccinated after November.

We celebrate National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) in early December each year as a reminder that vaccination efforts should continue through the holidays and beyond. While vaccination is recommended before the end of October, getting vaccinated later can be beneficial in most seasons for people who put it off. Staying healthy is the best way to spend the holidays.

CDC has a great tools and materials for your NIVW efforts:

CIC is delighted to introduce Kamrynn Saylor, our new Program Associate. Kamrynn joined us in September, hit the ground running, and hasn't stopped. Since Day 1, she's been instrumental in launching our redesigned website; planning for the 2020 Summit; and identifying a new office space. In addition, she seamlessly stepped into our day-to-day administrative tasks, including coordinating numerous Committee and BOD meetings. She also monitors our social media sites. Kamrynn is a graduate of Cal Poly SLO with a degree in kinesiology. She brings practical skills from her experience as a Patient Service Representative at Sutter Health and her volunteer work with young adults in Uganda, Central Africa. We are delighted to have her on our team. Reach out to her at  [email protected].

Lisa Brill Retires

Lisa Brill spent over half of her 20+ years at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California (KPNC) as the Influenza Vaccination Program Project Manager.  A native of New Jersey, she trained in Public Health and spent most of her adult life in Northern California serving KPNC in roles associated with the lab and health education before becoming Flu Project Manager.  Over the years her role with vaccines expanded across Kaiser Permanente.  

Whether it was newly-licensed vaccines, travel vaccines, or vaccine shortages, Lisa was frequently called upon to make sure that Kaiser Permanente members were appropriately vaccinated.   Lisa joined CIC as a member of the CIC Advisory Council in 2008. She had been involved in vaccine advocacy prior to that through her association with the CA Adult Immunization Coalition (which merged with C3I to become the CIC). She was later called upon to be a member of the CIC Board of Directors.  She served on a number of committees, but her tireless work on the Summit planning committee was most invaluable.  

She recently retired to a home in Medford, OR to spend more time with her husband  Larry,  her extended family and enjoy biking and gardening  .  Lisa's enthusiasm and organizational abilities will be missed. We all wish her well in her retirement and thank her for her contribution to CIC. 

Willie Watts-Troutman Retires

CIC congratulates Willie Watts-Troutman, RN, PHN, BSN, on her recent retirement as the Adult Immunization Coordinator for LA County's Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program. She also was awarded a proclamation for her 22 years of service from the LA County Board of Supervisors. 

Ms. Watts-Troutman has been an immunization champion and active member of the Immunize LA Families Coalition for many years. In fact, IZLAF made her an Honorary Member of their Executive Committee. She will continue to participate on the IZLAF Across the Lifespan and the Communications committees, and recently joined the board of MiOra . This lady is not going to slow down in retirement.

I n August, the SF Immunization Coalition (SFIC) partnered with the SF Giants to raise awareness about measles and the importance of immunizations. Coalition members set up a booth with a trivia wheel and offered SFIC and Giants swag as prizes. Brandon Belt, SF Giants first baseman, recorded

a measles-themed PSA was screened at the game! ! And Izzy the Bear, always a hit, mingled with fans and took selfies. While Coalition Night is a lot of hard work - getting enough volunteers is a challenge, as is keeping fans' attention once the game has started - the payoff is a home run. 

Visit the SFIC website for more info. Check out their website here.

On September 9, 2019 Governor Newsom signed SB 276 and SB 714, new legislation on medical exemptions to required immunizations. T he bills do not become law until January 1, 2020. Many of the main provision of the bills will not go into effect before January 1, 2021.

 

Under SB 276 and SB 714, medical exemptions will be reviewed when:

Until January 1, 2021, parents will continue to submit medical exemptions to a school or childcare using a form or letter prepared by their medical provider. Beginning in January 2021, all medical exemptions will be submitted electronically directly into the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) utilizing a standard form.

 

For more info, review the Questions and Answers  developed by the CHHSA. CDPH is working on implementation and will provide updates as information becomes available.  

CIC congratulates our CDPH colleagues on their new Director. Sonia Angell, MD, MPH assumed the position of State Public Health Officer and CDPH Director in October 2019. Throughout her public health career, Dr. Angell has shown commitment to clinical care and teaching. 

Dr. Angell has worked as a primary care physician at the Packard Community Clinic, an assistant clinical professor of medicine and assistant attending physician at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Hospital, and Chief and founder of the Global Noncommunicable Disease Unit at CDC. She is board certified in internal medicine, received her medical degree from UCSF, completed Internal Medicine residency at Brigham Women's Hospital, has a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and an MPH from the University of Michigan. 

Welcome, Dr. Angell. We look forward to working with you.

Preteen Vaccine Week (PVW) 2020 will be observed March 1-7, 2020. This annual observance is a great way to draw attention to the importance of immunizations for preteens. Help us raise awareness about HPV, Tdap, and meningococcal vaccines for California's adolescents by signing up to receive emails about resources, social media messaging, and planning calls related to PVW 2020. 

Contact  [email protected] for information.

The 49th National Immunization Conference will be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, May 19-21, 2020. Toot your own horn and share your great state and local projects with colleagues across the country! Consider submitting an abstract and share your good efforts. There are 12 themes this year, including Disparities, Partnerships, Special Populations, and Vaccine Safety. Visit the NIC-2020 Abstract Submission site for more information.  Deadline for submissions is December 16, 11:59pm EST.