As August marks National Immunizations Awareness Month and the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year for many students and families, ensuring that parents are up-to-date with their child’s vaccinations is paramount. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicates the capacity of families to schedule well-child visits, especially those belonging to minority populations.

NC AHEC and Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), under the guidance of the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), are working with practices experiencing greater care gaps to increase well-child visits and immunization rates across the state. The collaborative also provides a collection of provider and patient-facing materials and FAQs to help practices and parents alike learn more about the importance of up-to-date immunizations.

Additionally, NC DHHS will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, August 13 as part of the Health Care Professionals Webinar Series to provide updates on key data and state policy changes and to highlight the Keeping Kids Well program. Providers can join the webinar at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom, or dial-in at (312) 626-6799 or (646) 558-8656 using webinar ID 848 964 708.

To access these materials and to learn more about the initiative, visit the collaborative’s webpage and view NC Medicaid’s Special Bulletin COVID-19 #120: Keeping Kids Well Program: Improving Well-Child Visit and Immunization Rates Across NC.

To discover other Practice Support services offered by the NC AHEC Program, visit our webpage or contact us.