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Health department clinics as pediatric immunization providers: a national survey
J M Santoli1, L E Barker, B H Lyons
1National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. jsantoli@cdc.gov
Insights
Health department immunization clinics serve vulnerable children, including uninsured and Medicaid enrollees, acting as a crucial healthcare contact. Preserving this immunization safety net is vital for national health.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Immunization Services
- Healthcare Access
Background:
- Health department immunization clinics play a significant role in public health.
- Understanding their operational characteristics is essential for effective healthcare delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize national health department immunization clinics.
- Assess populations served, patient volume trends, services offered, and immunization practices.
Main Methods:
- A national probability-based sample of health departments was surveyed via telephone.
- All sampled and eligible clinics (100%) completed the survey.
Main Results:
- Clinics primarily serve uninsured (42%) and Medicaid (34%) pediatric patients.
- Most children and adolescents were referred, with few using clinics as a medical home.
- While comprehensive care was limited, electronic record storage was common (83%), and recall systems were utilized.
Conclusions:
- These clinics are a vital safety net for vulnerable populations, including adolescents.
- Preserving these services is critical for child and national health.
- Further research is needed to explore variations in services and practices.
Objective:
To describe a national sample of health department immunization clinics in terms of populations served, patient volume trends, services offered, and immunization practices.
Methods:
Telephone survey conducted with health departments sampled from a national database, using probability proportional to population size.
Results:
All (100%) 166 sampled and eligible clinics completed the survey. The majority of pediatric patients were uninsured (42%) or enrolled in Medicaid (34%). Most children (69%) and adolescents (70%) were referred to the health department, with only 12% using these clinics as a medical home. A number of clinics (72%) reported recent increases in adolescents served. Less than 25% of clinics offered comprehensive care, 47% conducted semiannual coverage assessments, and 76% and 38% operated recall systems for children and adolescents. Storage of records in an electronic database was common (83%).
Conclusions:
Although the majority of these clinics do not provide comprehensive care, they continue to serve vulnerable children, including adolescents, Medicaid enrollees, and the uninsured, and may represent the main contact with the healthcare system for such patients. Because assuring the immunization of these children is essential to their health and the health of our nation as a whole, this immunization safety net must be preserved. Experience implementing key recommendations such as coverage assessment and feedback as well as reminder or recall may enable health department staff to assist private provider colleagues. Further research is needed to investigate how patient populations, services offered, and immunization practices vary by different clinic characteristics.