June 2021 Newsletter
Welcome to the Massachusetts Adult Immunization Coalition's quarterly newsletter!
In this edition:
- 26th Annual Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference recap
- June 2021 coalition meeting recap
- 2021 Massachusetts Adult Immunization Champion award winner - Heidi Bedard
- Massachusetts Health Aging Collaborative and MAIC Resource Center
- Upcoming coalition meeting - September 2021
- Upcoming events
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26th Annual Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference
Immunizations: Adapting During Challenging Times
The 26th annual MA Adult Immunization Conference was held virtually on Tuesday, April 13th, 2021. This year's speakers discussed the importance of maintaining adult vaccination during the current pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in MA and COVID-19 vaccine implementation strategies and latest ACIP recommendations. Breakout topics included: Updates on new vaccines, vaccine preventable diseases, the Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS), vaccinating LGBTQIA+ populations, vaccine storage and handling, and vaccinating college students.
Featured plenary speakers included:
 
Robert Hopkins Jr., Andrew Kroger, MD, MPH
MD, MCAP, FAAP Centers for Disease Control
University of Arkansas and Prevention
We are grateful our many supporters and virtual exhibitors. For more information about the conference, please visit the coalition's conference page. To view conference power point presentations, please visit the conference website, select "speakers," select "view profile" for the speaker whose presentation you would like to view. Scroll to the bottom of the speaker's profile to find their presentation(s) .
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Coalition Activities
June 2021 Coalition Meeting
Thank you to all who participated in our June 2021 meeting. The meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, June 15th, 2021 from 6:30 - 8:30pm. Presentations and presenters included:
- COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations, Susan Lett, MD, MDPH
- Immunization Division COVID Activities, Pejman Talebian, MDPH
- Nassira Nicola, MDPH COVID-19 Ambassador Program
- Cynthia McReynolds, Vaccine Confidence Project
- James Fuccione, Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative
The meeting agenda and presentation resources can be found here. This will be updated to include additional meeting minutes shortly.
During the meeting, there was a lively discussion around how to get adults caught up with routine vaccinations. Meeting attendees used Padlet to capture ideas on vaccination adults. To read our ideas or to add additional ideas, please visit the Padlet board we used during the meeting!
Upcoming September 2021 Coalition Meeting
Join us for our next coalition meeting on September 28th, 2021 from 6:30 - 8:30pm. This event will be held virtually . Click here to register for the event. A tentative agenda will be available shortly. Topics will include information about the upcoming flu season. Members are always welcome to present or suggest a topic for presentation! Contact Amy Sgueglia for more information. |
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MAIC Champion Award Winner
Heidi Bedard, LPN
Family Health Center Worcester
Congratulations to Heidi Bedard for being named the 2021 MAIC Champion Awardee! Described by her colleagues as a “tireless champion of immunizations for the patients who receive care at FHCW,” Ms. Bedard is responsible for many initiatives encouraging adult immunization and improved data quality despite the logistical challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about Ms. Bedard, please visit to the coalition website. |
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MHAC and MAIC Materials
MAIC and Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC) have partnered to create an informational resource for older adult and their caregivers to raise awareness around routine adult immunization and the availability of services and supports for this population. In addition to outlining the importance of immunizations, the resource also includes information about accessing services through MassOptions and the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 helpline. It has been translated into English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Haitian-Creole, Russian, and Vietnamese.
MHAC and MAIC have are worked with multiple organizations across Massachusetts to distribute and promote the one-page flier including mass vaccination sites managed by CIC Health. Feel free to distribute this document within your own organization!
To download a copy of this document in English or one of seven other languages, please visit the links below :
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Upcoming Events
The coalition has been regularly sending out emails listing upcoming educational events and webinars. The view the most recent list of upcoming events, please visit this link.
Title: MAIC September 2021 Meeting
Date: Tuesday, September 28th, 2021, 6:30 - 8:30pm EST
This is a virtual event! Registration is now open - Please register here
Title: 26th Annual MIAP Pediatric Immunization Skills Building Conference
Date: Thursday October 28th, 2021, 8:00 AM - 3:45 PM
This is a virtual event! Registration will open in August, 2021. For updates or additional information, please visit the MCAAP Immunization Initiative website. Updates will be posted as they become available.
The Coalition for Local Public Health (CLPH) is introducing a toolkit aimed at helping public health professionals and allies educate local leaders on the basics of the local public health system in MA, its importance, and the changes needed to strengthen the system. You will hear from CLPH leaders on how to best utilize the toolkit and there will be an opportunity to ask questions. These workshops will help prepare you to educate others on the importance of local public health in Massachusetts. There is one opportunity left to take the toolkit introduction, ask questions and earn CEU. See attached flyer!
Date: Tuesday, June 29, 2021, 6:00 - 7:15 PM
Visit the following website to register: tinyurl.com/4y2f2n62
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Do you have an item you would like to see featured in our next newsletter? Send your submissions to Amy Sgueglia. The deadline for submissions for the next newsletter is Friday, August 21, 2021.
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