Opportunities & Challenges to Improving Vaccine Rates in Ohio

The Immunization Advocacy Network of Ohio, a statewide network of Ohio immunization providers and supporters who advocate for the value of vaccines, recently partnered with the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) to host an Immunization Summit in Columbus that focused on childhood vaccines. The Summit convened a small group of healthcare providers including pediatricians, pharmacists, and nurses as well as public health officials and vaccine advocates. 

While Ohio’s rates of immunization among children are decreasing, the Summit allowed for robust discussion and the sharing of ideas for the best ways to address issues such as vaccine hesitancy, data collection, and education.  

Joining us for today’s podcast are Melissa Wervey Arnold, CEO of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Dr. David Karas, a pediatrician at Akron Children’s Pediatrics and is medical director of Ambulatory Quality and Clinical Outcomes Improvement at Akron Children’s, who discuss the Summit and how experts and advocates are working to improve vaccine rates in Ohio.