Sea MAR CHC immunization and vaccine confidence project - for over 40 years, sea MAR community health centers has served the community by providing primary and ancillary health care services in…

Sea MAR CHC immunization and vaccine confidence project - for over 40 years, sea MAR community health centers has served the community by providing primary and ancillary health care services in western washington. Sea MAR operates 35 medical, 30 dental, and 29 behavioral health clinics in 11 counties in addition to a wide range of social and community services including affordable housing, long term care, inpatient treatment, WIC and MSS. In 2020, sea MAR served over 304,000 unduplicated patients throughout its service area, the majority of whom live below the federal poverty level and are uninsured, underinsured or receive medicaid. Sea MAR is applying for funding opportunity NV-VSR-21-001: promoting vaccine confidence in local communities through partnership with regional health offices. The covid-19 pandemic has influenced the decline of preventive immunizations due to government-mandated lockdowns, healthcare organizations limiting services offered and community fear of exposure. According to sea MAR's 2020 universal data system (UDS) report, sea MAR saw a 5% decline in combination 10 immunizations reporting 40% in 2019 and 35% in 2020. Combination 10 refers to a set of vaccines that toddlers are scheduled to receive by their second birthday. The statewide combination 10 immunization rate in washington currently sits at 43.3% leaving 56.7% of toddlers vulnerable potential infection. Infants and toddlers are critical to immunize because of their lack of protection and susceptibility to health complications. Another notable group experiencing a decline in receiving preventive immunizations is the 11 and 12-year-old population. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations protect against infections that can lead to six types of cancer. 80% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime. Despite the long-term benefits of the vaccine, washington state saw a 5.6% decline, from 42% in 2019 to 36.4% in 2020. With this funding, sea MAR proposes to implement vaccine-focused in-clinic medical assistants to target medically underserved and vulnerable members of our community to increase combination 10 and HPV vaccination rates in clark and king counties in washington state. The proposed project will add a 2.0 FTE certified medical assistants who will be responsible for compiling target population information, disseminating culturally relevant vaccination materials to vaccine hesitant patients, cultivating a positive in-clinic vaccine culture, and administering vaccines to scheduled and walk-in patients.