Vaccines Have the Power to Protect
Just like every superhero needs a shield, vaccinations are the armor that protects children from potentially life-threatening diseases. April 24 – 30, 2023 is National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) and we are inviting you to join us and become a Champion for Health for the children in your life.
Parents &
Caregivers
What Vaccines Does
Your Child Need?
Providers
Parents Have the Power to Become
Champions For Health
Caring for your children is demanding. As a parent or caregiver, choosing what’s best for them can be difficult. At EverThrive Illinois, we are here to offer you evidence-based information and resources on how to best protect your loved ones. As your Champion for Health, we want you to know that vaccines are the best way to protect and keep your little ones healthy and safe.
One of our primary focuses this year is to encourage parents and caregivers to stay up-to-date on their child’s vaccinations by providing them with the education and resources needed to make the best decision for them. We invite you to consider the following as your superpowers in your mission to love, care for, and protect your children.
Questions To Ask Your Child’s Health Care Provider
You are responsible for your children’s health and well-being. You are their greatest superhero and Champion for Health.
- As a parent or caregiver, you want to set up your children for a successful and healthy adulthood. Staying informed is essential. You can increase your knowledge about vaccinations by asking questions, reading credible sources, and speaking with health care providers.
- If you have questions or concerns about vaccinating your children, have a conversation with their doctor, pediatrician, or primary care physician. Exercise your right to ask questions until you get the answers you need. Here are some questions to start the conversation with your child’s health care provider:
- Are vaccines safe?
- What is in my baby’s/child’s vaccines?
- What is the immune system?
- Will vaccines damage my baby/child’s immune system?
- Why should I get my baby/child vaccinated?
- Can vaccines cause the disease that they are supposed to prevent?
- What are the possible side effects of vaccines?
- What are the risks of not vaccinating?
More tips for Parents
Vaccines have a positive impact on the lives of the little ones you love.
- Vaccines work with your child’s immune system to prevent various serious diseases. We have lived and fought back viruses through vaccines for more than 200 years. In fact, vaccines have helped eliminate Polio and eradicate Smallpox.
- Before a vaccine is given to your child, it must undergo numerous tests, clinical trials, and safety measures to ensure it is both safe and effective.
- Vaccines are universally recommended for all infants and children, ages 0 to 5 and beyond.
- On-time vaccination is critical to help protect against 14 diseases — like measles and whooping cough before the age of 2 — with recommended childhood vaccinations.
Not getting your baby or child vaccinated has its own costs.
- Finances can create challenges to getting your children vaccinated. However, there are resources. Some programs can alleviate some of the financial burdens and help prevent the high costs of treating vaccine-preventable illnesses.
- If you and your family are enrolled in Medicaid, or if you are uninsured or underinsured, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines to eligible children at no cost. Ask your child’s doctor or nurse to see if they are a VFC provider.
- Your family may also qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which covers many childhood vaccines.
- Local health departments and community health centers may also offer low-cost vaccinations.
Time is of the essence. Be proactive and schedule your children’s vaccines now.
- Vaccines are still the most effective and safe way to protect against preventable diseases and boost your children’s immune systems.
- Diseases like measles and whooping cough are highly contagious, and they can be very serious and very expensive to treat. Vaccines are the best way for you to shield your children from getting seriously ill, hospitalized, and even dying.
- Your child’s health care provider can help you determine what vaccines you need to schedule, the cost, and the alternatives for payment.
Recommended Immunizations
- Birth
- 1 Month
- 2 Months
- 4 Months
- 6 Months
- 12 Months
- 15 Months
- 18 Months
- 19-23 Months
- 2-3 Years
- 4-6 Years
Health Care Providers Have a
Shared Responsibility in Ensuring
Children Stay Healthy
If you are a doctor or primary care physician or work in a clinic or hospital, you are integral to maximizing immunization efforts in your community. Building your cultural competence while working in diverse communities could also help to bridge the gap and get important vaccine messages across to parents.
Understanding cultural nuances involves listening and using terms that are easy to understand. It also implies using basic explanations that can help educate, empower, and encourage parents around preventive care methods, like vaccination. We invite healthcare providers to reference the following information to better connect with the patients they see.
Encourage Open Dialogue With Your Patients
Communicate effectively and empathetically with parents and caregivers about vaccines and their protective powers.
- Clear, current, and compelling communication is imperative when establishing trust and good relationships among parents and caregivers.
- There is no effective engagement when the communication is unclear or when the terms used are too medical and far from people’s experiences. This can be devastating for the health and well-being of children and further disparities. Make your vaccine-related explanations digestible.
- If parents and caregivers express concerns, then share your strong vaccine recommendation and state which vaccines the child needs to receive. For example:
- “I strongly recommend your child get these vaccines today.”
- “These shots are very important to protect them from serious diseases.”
- “I believe in vaccines so strongly that I vaccinate my own children on schedule.”
- Instead of saying “What do you want to do about shots?,” say “Your child needs three shots today. Do you have any questions about that?”
- Instead of saying “Have you thought about the shots your child needs today?,” say “Your child needs DTaP, Hib, and Hepatitis B shots today, do you have any questions I can answer?”
More tips for Providers
Engage in honest conversations so you can learn about the cultural nuances of the diverse patients in your care.
- You are one of the most trusted sources of information when it comes to vaccines that parents and caregivers have. Therefore, you have the opportunity to offer a space where they can feel safe to share concerns and ask questions so they can confidently choose vaccines for their children.
- Ask parents or caregivers if they understand the language you are using to explain the benefits of vaccines and listen attentively.
- Use language that allows parents and caregivers to become more knowledgeable about the importance of vaccinations, well-child visits, and how to help their children live healthier and thriving lives.
Be a Champion for children’s health during National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW).
- Doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and office staff play a key role in establishing and maintaining a practice-wide commitment to communicating effectively about vaccines and maintaining high vaccination rates.
- Make this year’s priority to ensure that the families you see feel welcome and safe to ask questions and share their concerns about vaccinations.
- Remind parents, caregivers, and pregnant people about the importance of on-time infant and childhood immunization.
- Reach out to any parents and caregivers who may have missed or delayed their routine child visits and vaccinations — and encourage them to schedule these important appointments right away.
Are you a provider who wants to share timely reminders about immunizations with families? Check out this resource from the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to find useful resources for social media, websites, and newsletters!