AHEC West received word last week that NAO's continuation application for the HPV Immunization Project has been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for funding into Year 5, which began September 30, 2018.
Nationwide efforts for continuing education, information dissemination and partnership development continue to gain momentum, with the ultimate goal of increased HPV vaccination uptake for 11 & 12 year old girls and boys for cancer prevention.
Joy Taylor, Project Specialist for Continuing Education, reports that Year 4 was very successful in meeting objectives, resulting in greater participation numbers, new and/or expanded local and state-wide collaborations and consistent positive evaluation feedback. Project accomplishments for the first four years include over 42,000 practitioners trained, over four million resources disseminated, and 660 partnerships developed or enhanced. More importantly, AHECs have showcased for the CDC their reach into rural and underserved populations where immunization rates can be low.
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Audra Houser, FNP, is shown presenting "You Are the Key to HPV Cancer Prevention" to Allegany College of Maryland nursing students.
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"Year 5 will be exciting," Joy explains. "While HPV rates are increasing, there is still a great deal of work to be done. We are pleased to announce that we have approved the involvement of 29 AHECs covering 34 states in this year's HPV Project. Most have been with the Project for all four years and are making a difference in their states and regions. In addition, efforts and activities are planned to address the ten states with lowest HPV immunization rates, which include Wyoming, Utah, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana and Florida."
