The Immunization Management Program, organized under the Office of Public Health Nursing, is a health protection program to prevent influenza and pneumonia in older adults. The program also trains public sector employees on preventing bloodborne infections. Details concerning the Bloodborne Pathogens Program and Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Program appear in Occupational Health.
The Adult Influenza and Pneumococcal Program enables the department to purchase vaccine at a cost-effective rate for county and municipally-sponsored programs. In 2001, 37 towns participated in the flu program and 22 towns participated in the pneumococcal program.
In 2001, department public health nurses administered:
- 2,174 flu and 61 pneumococcal vaccines, increases of 17 percent and 10 percent respectively at county-staffed, municipally-sponsored clinics
- 694 flu and 61 pneumococcal vaccines, increases of 22 percent and 38 percent respectively at county-staffed and sponsored programs.
Through the Partnership for Community Health, the department worked with other agencies, hospitals, and senior organizations to develop a countywide listing of vaccine clinics. The listing enabled department nurses to refer residents to clinics close to home. This strategy linked people to personal health services, assured the provision of health care, and increased accessibility and quality of population-based health services.
