The presenter will provide an overview of immunization rates, vaccine preventable disease occurrence, and activities to increase immunization rates in the state. The presenter will also discuss immunization-related legislation that has been introduced. The presenter will identify immunization-related topics on the horizon for the state.

Your community relies on you for life-saving vaccines every day, but they also rely on you for life-saving vaccine information out in the community. Learn how to engage with your community online and in person in order to build confidence and spread good information about vaccines.

A review of vaccine preventable diseases and current immunization recommendations in children and adolescents. 

In North Dakota, a significant number of adults aged 65 and older are not fully vaccinated against key diseases, such as influenza, pneumococcal pneumonia, shingles, and COVID-19. These vaccinations are critical for reducing illness and mortality risks in older adults, prompting health professionals to explore the reasons behind this undervaccination and strategies to improve uptake. A comprehensive survey conducted in the spring and summer of 2022 aimed to understand the vaccination behaviors, beliefs, and barriers among this demographic, with a particular focus on rural populations. Additionally, follow-up interviews were conducted in the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023 to get nuanced information related to decisions about obtaining a vaccine or abstaining from vaccines. Results highlighted a lower vaccine uptake in rural areas, especially for shingles and COVID-19 vaccines, and revealed more skeptical beliefs about vaccine benefits among rural older adults. Additionally, trust issues were identified, specifically related to sources of immunization information. The findings underscore the need for targeted efforts to address these challenges and improve vaccination rates among older adults in North Dakota, which will be discussed in this session alongside best practices and strategies.

Various healthcare facilities will discuss their immunization best practices and lessons learned in order to increase vaccination rates.   

The adult immunization schedule will be reviewed in detail.  This session is meant to be a good introduction for newer staff or people who are not overly familiar with the immunization schedule.   

Provide updates on the current NDIIS, review public NDIIS data dashboards, and provide details on the new version of the system that will be rolled out later this year.

This interactive workshop is designed to help you craft strategic stories that disrupt the dominant narratives and drive social change. We will delve into the practical application of disruptive stories in promoting vaccines and health equity. The workshop will guide you through a step-by-step process of creating a compelling strategic story. 

During this session, conference attendees will watch the documentary Virulent: The Vaccine War.

WATCH TRAILER - Virulent: The Vaccine War

This session will review new RSV immunization products, which populations they are recommended for, and update new efficacy data around their use.

After this session, you will gain renewed confidence that HPV vaccination of males and females is important to cancer prevention. Unfortunately, HPV vaccination coverage was one of the public health setbacks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll discuss data that suggest that starting HPV vaccination at age 9 or 10 years may improve coverage by age 13 years in some primary care settings. We’ll also review the evidence on the effect of some time-honored approaches (e.g., effective provider communication, provider prompts).   

Participants will learn about the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). We will cover the recent history of these diseases in North Dakota and the region, as well as notable case studies.

Through a facilitated discussion, Kristen Dow from BerryDunn will work with session participants to discuss current data, explore and recommend strategies, best practices, and approaches to help increase immunization coverage in North Dakota over the next five years. The session will include interactive data collection efforts with polls, word clouds, and open-ended questions

Provide updates on the current NDIIS, review public NDIIS data dashboards, and provide details on the new version of the system that will be rolled out later this year.

Through a facilitated discussion, Kristen Dow from BerryDunn will work with session participants to discuss current data, explore and recommend strategies, best practices, and approaches to help increase immunization coverage in North Dakota over the next five years. The session will include interactive data collection efforts with polls, word clouds, and open-ended questions

Overview of different health insurance plans available to consumers and high level over view of federal regulations that impact health insurance plans.  

Various healthcare facilities will discuss their immunization best practices and lessons learned in order to increase vaccination rates.

Traditional public health efforts to improve vaccine uptake frequently struggle to reach those most able to make change--providers. Previous peer-to-peer education for healthcare professionals successfully increased HPV vaccine confidence and uptake in North Dakota. In 2021, the NDSU Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE) implemented a peer-to-peer education program to increase provider knowledge around COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and confidence addressing vaccine concerns. Content has been developed and updated to meet the educational needs of healthcare professionals, including talks on vaccine communication strategies, vaccine safety, and pediatric respiratory viruses.  This session will describe previous peer-to-peer efforts in North Dakota, introduce the current project and share its successes and challenges, and perspectives from a current peer-to-peer educator will be shared.

CDC's Vaccines for Children (VFC) program covers the cost of vaccines for children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them.  This session will provide an overview of the program's first three decades as well as future planning and program opportunities.