Dartmouth Health Presents ‘Key Strategies to Promote Childhood Vaccination’

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention post supporting vaccinating young children.

Importance of vaccination of children against COVID-19, other diseases to be addressed in upcoming Dartmouth Health educational series

Lebanon, NH – With new COVID-19 variants emerging and a winter surge expected, vaccination of people of all ages is critical to protect the health of our communities. As of mid-July, only 22.7% of children 5-11 years old and 44.1% of teens 12-19 in New Hampshire were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). In addition, dips in rates of vaccination against other serious childhood illnesses may risk resurgence of other diseases.

Dartmouth Health will soon launch a new Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) virtual educational series to address this matter. This series, titled “Key Strategies to Promote Childhood Vaccination,” will examine the importance, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, and other vaccines, in protecting individuals and communities; discuss effective communication strategies to increase vaccine uptake; and identify evidence-based COVID-19 vaccine resources and best practice information to support increased vaccination. The series, which is open to the public, is offered by Dartmouth Health in collaboration with DHHS.

Planned sessions for this webinar series include:

  • September 7—Vaccine facts: current perspectives on actions, safety and effectiveness
  • September 21—Effective communications to motivate increased vaccine uptake
  • October 5—Common misinformation and reality: successfully addressing myths
  • October 19—Health equity and social vulnerabilities
  • November 2—Open topic, to be based on issues arising during the Series

“Vaccination is one of the most important tools in ensuring children live long, healthy lives, but misinformation and hesitation on the part of adults can cause a real hindrance in childhood vaccination rates,” said Erik M. Shessler, MD, associate medical director of general pediatrics at Dartmouth Health Children’s. “With this Project ECHO series, we hope to educate healthcare providers and the public alike on the facts about vaccines—how they work, the research and quality control that goes into them, and dispelling myths—and how they can be part of our mission in public health to promote vaccination.”

All five sessions will be held from 12-1 pm. Registration is required and free of charge. To register for this Project ECHO series, click here.

Project ECHO is a program of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.

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