For the last fourteen (14) years, Generate Health has proudly served as the home for the region’s immunization coalition. Most recently the coalition has been known as the Generate Health Immunization Initiative. The coalition was initially started in 1991 by the Junior League to increase childhood immunization rates. As the coalition grew to encompass all immunization, it was led by St. Louis County Department of Public Health. In 2005 the coalition came under the Generate Health umbrella to reflect a broader geographic scope and to benefit from our support as convener, educator and advocate.
Some key accomplishments of the coalition while it was led by Generate Health include creating a Meningitis Toolkit that was adopted by higher education institutions, organizing an Adolescent Immunization Campaign, and Kids that Rock Campaign, which reached over 500,000 parents with information about the threats of pertussis and influenza, and the safe vaccinations available to prevent diseases. Quarterly professional development meetings and several annual conferences were hosted during this tenure for immunization stakeholders. These gatherings provided opportunities for learning about the latest developments in vaccines, identifying and solving barriers to immunizations, and building new relationships and partnerships among stakeholders.
Mission, staff capacity, and funding changes have led Generate Health to hand off this initiative to the newly established Missouri Immunization Coalition. This new home will have a greater capacity to create local change. In 2018 Generate Health modified its mission to focus on the health of Black moms and babies specifically, where the Immunization Initiative targets a broader population. The statewide coalition has spent most of 2019 building and organizing itself to convene local efforts and offer professional development resources. Generate Health staff and Immunization Initiative leadership participated in the development of the statewide coalition throughout 2019.
The Missouri Immunization Coalition has picked up momentum, and there are various ways to plug into the work that’s happening. This multi-sector group has met in person in Jeff City and Columbia, held bi-monthly steering Committee Conference Calls, developed coalition bylaws to be incorporated through the state of Missouri, and elected its first slate of Board Members.
Want to stay involved with the Immunization Initiative? First, become a member of the Missouri Immunization Coalition by subscribing to the list serve (moimmunize@gmail.com). The coalition formed three work groups, each with a point of contact if you’d like to learn more or get involved:
- Legislative/Advocacy – Contact Lynelle Phillips (phillipslm@health.missouri.edu)
- Provider Education—Contact Lana Hudanick (lana.hudanick@health.mo.gov)
- Parent Education— Contact Lana Hudanick (\)
Other action steps:
- Follow the Missouri Immunization Coalition on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MOImmunize
- Sign up for the Voices for Vaccines weekly email for updates on all things vaccines: https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/join-us/
It has been an honor for Generate Health to have contributed to the Immunization Initiative’s journey for the last 14 years of its almost 30-year history. Immunizations are a critical public health intervention that save lives and prevent illnesses across the entire lifespan. We are hopeful that with dedicated resources and attention to promoting immunization access statewide, the local immunization efforts will be stronger and even more successful.
Thank you for your partnership!