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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, July 31, 2002 |
Contact: | HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 |
Through the Racial and Ethnic Adult Disparities in Immunization Initiative (READII), HHS will conduct two-year demonstration projects in five sites to improve influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates in African-American and Hispanic communities.
"We know immunizations work, yet still far too many Americans -- especially Hispanics and African Americans -- are not getting the shots that can prevent pneumonia and flu," Deputy Secretary Claude Allen said. "This initiative will help us identify the most effective ways to increase immunization rates in minority populations -- ultimately helping us close the gaps and improve the health for these groups."
The HHS project will be implemented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and other federal agencies.
Over two years, the READII project sites will collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement a community-based plan utilizing existing and innovative approaches. To develop the plans, demonstration sites will organize partnerships of public health professionals, medical providers and community members (e.g., large health plans, insurers, minority health professional organization, churches, local community groups, and civic leaders) to identify strategies to increase immunization levels. Interventions will vary based on state and local choice, but will particularly focus on working with immunization providers because research indicates this is key to improving coverage. Strategies implemented in the first year that are shown to be effective will be used to further develop second year activities.
HHS hopes to widely disseminate lessons learned from this project. The sites for the READII project include Rochester, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Milwaukee, Wis.; San Antonio, Texas; and rural counties in Mississippi. The awards are expected to be made by Sept. 1, and will range from $250,000 -- $400,000.
In 2000, 67 percent of older white persons received influenza vaccination, compared to only 48 percent and 56 percent of older African-American and Hispanic persons, respectively. Disparities for pneumococcal vaccination coverage were even wider, with 57 percent for whites, 31 percent for African-Americans and 30 percent for Hispanics.
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