2020 MA Adult Immunization Conference

25th Annual Adult Immunization Virtual Conference
How Far We’ve Come Together

Tuesday, April 14, 2020 | 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, this was a virtual Conference
Conference website, Conference brochure

The 25th annual MA Adult Immunization Conference was held virtually (due to the current COVID-19 pandemic) on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020, to celebrate vaccine innovation history. We reviewed the most current adult immunization information and shared strategies for immunization activities in health care facilities, businesses and communities. Topics included: Updates on new vaccines and the current adult immunization schedule, vaccine preventable diseases, vaccinating high risk adults, The Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS) and data quality, adult vaccine storage and handling, and strategies to improve adult immunization implementation.

 

We are grateful to the many supporters and virtual sponsors of this conference.

We also honor the 2020 MA Adult Immunization Champion: Jessica Prince, MSN, RN for her leadership, collaboration and innovation in working with the Greater New Bedford Health Center (CNBCHC) and beyond.

 

Conference Welcome

Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Amy Sgueglia, MSN, RN
MA Adult Immunization Coalition Facilitator

 

 

Morning Plenary A – A Logical Necessity: A History of Vaccines and the Commonwealth
(Slides not available)
Alfred DeMaria Jr., MD
Medical and Laboratory Consultant, MA Department of Public Health

Dr. DeMaria will discussed the events that led to the manufacture of smallpox and other vaccines by the state, and how policy decisions at the turn of the 20th Century affected the health and well-being of Massachusetts residents.  He reviewed smallpox vaccine and how it was manufactured, the impact of the smallpox epidemic of 1900-1903, how public sector vaccine was a successful strategy to enhance adult, as well as childhood, immunization, and how this contributed to overall public health.

 

Morning Plenary B – Adult Immunizations Implementation to Benefit Patients and Your Practice
Carolyn B. Bridges, MD, FACP
Chair American College of Physicians, Immunizations Technical Advisory Committee

Dr. Bridges’s presentation will include a look-back at vaccines recommended for adults and the expanded adult immunization schedule.  She will discuss strategies for implementation of adult immunizations recommendations.  And she will provide evidence of the case for adult immunizations individual patients, public health and provider practices.

Morning Concurrent Breakout Sessions:

A. Surveillance, Reporting and Control of Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Elizabeth Russo, MD
Assessment Coordinator, MA Department of Public Health, Immunization Division

Effective outbreak response requires cooperation and teamwork among healthcare providers, local boards of health, schools, laboratories, and other partners.  This interactive workshop will include recent trends in the epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases, and explore steps to build capacity to respond to a vaccine-preventable disease outbreak.

 

B. Adult Immunization 101
Katie Reilly, MPH, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC, CIC
Nurse Manager, MA Department of Public Health, Immunization Division

During this session, the adult immunization schedule was reviewed, along with the principles of vaccination, required documentation when administering vaccines, and how to screen patients for contraindications and precautions to vaccines.  Vaccine safety, common vaccine errors, and how to report errors & vaccine-adverse events were also discussed.

 

C. Beyond Submission: MIIS Features for Data Analysis (1 RM credit)
Julia Monturo-Larson, Ed.M.
Help Desk Trainee and Supervisor, MA Immunization Information System (MIIS), MA Department of Public Health

The Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS) is the official source of immunization data in the commonwealth.  During this discussion, presenters demonstrated various reports available in the MIIS, such as Coverage, Reminder Recall, Invalid Dose and Practice Profile reports. You became familiar with tools in the MIIS that provide information about data quality and HL7 messages. The target audience for this presentation is current MIIS users who would like to learn more about using MIIS functionality to explore their data, including reporting features.
(This session qualified for 1.0 RM credit)

 

Afternoon Plenary – The National Adult Immunization Update and Latest Recommendations
Mark Freedman, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
CDR, US Public Health Service

Adults should be current on routine vaccinations to reduce their risk for illness, disability, and death from vaccine-preventable diseases. During this presentation, we’ll summarize the latest adult immunization recommendations, review the current immunization schedule, and discuss adult coverage on a state and national level.  New vaccines on the horizon will also be covered.

Afternoon Concurrent Breakout Sessions:

D. Experiences Vaccinating College Students – A Panel Discussion (This session was cancelled)

E. Vaccine Storage and Handling (1 RM credit)
Shumethia Seal, MPH
Vaccine Unit Manager, MA Department of Public Health

Proper vaccine storage and handling is crucial for patient safety and vaccine effectiveness.  In this session, we will summarize best practices for vaccine storage and handling, describe how to resolve common storage and handling issues, and list which adult vaccines are available through the MDPH vaccine unit.
(This session qualified for 1.0 RM credit)

 

F. Vaccinating High Risk Adults
Lindsay Bouton, MS
Epidemiologist, MA Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology

 

 

Amy Sgueglia, MSN, RN
MA Adult Immunization Coalition Facilitator
JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc.

Do you have patients who are experiencing homelessness, drug abuse, or are incarcerated?  Have you ever wondered how to increase vaccine uptake in these high-risk patients?  In this workshop, we discussed the epidemiology of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) including vaccines; strategies to vaccinate high-risk populations; and current efforts in MA to increase Hepatitis and IMD vaccination in high-risk populations.

 

Thank you to our 2020 Virtual Exhibitors!

• Accuvax
• American Cancer Society
• Commonwealth Medicine
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Sanofi Pasteur
• Sylvie Ratelle STD/HIV Prevention Training Center
• Team Maureen

Thank you to our dedicated Planning Committee:

Alexandra Burke, JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc; Amy Sgueglia, JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc.; Ted Clark, MDPH; Katie Reilly, MDPH; Joanne Belanger, Lowell, MA; Korey Hoffman, American Cancer Society, Susan Lett, MDPH; Pejman Taleiban, MDPH; Ashley Romero, MDPH; Melissa Enos, MDPH; Angela Kramer, Ludlow MA

 

Questions?

For information on registration, reimbursement, continuing education certificates or other issues relating to the virtual conference, please contact Conference Manager and Registrar, Alexandra Burke at 617.385.3874 or by email at alexandra_burke@jsi.com

View the conference website here