Background:
WIC agencies providing services in San Diego County include San Diego State University Foundation WIC, the American Red Cross WIC, Scripps-Mercy Hospital WIC, North County Health Services WIC and San Ysidro Health Center WIC. All five offer WIC services at some sites co-located with Community Health Center clinics. These local WIC agencies will continue their immunization assessment and referral activities as they have done for the past ten years. All five previously utilized the VENUS/ISIS-IZ immunization software. Since 2005, the WIC programs have transitioned to the use of the SDIR. Currently evaluation activities are examining data from the SDIR to see if the use of SDIR has helped to increase immunization coverage rates of the WIC population (children under 5 years of age).
How WIC and Immunizations Work Together:
Similar to the CalWORKS assessment project, WIC staff review the immunization records of children under 5 years in their site’s case load to check to see if they are up-to-date. Before each visit, the WIC staff requests the parent to bring the immunization records of her children. During the visit, the WIC staff then logs onto the web-based SDIR and compares what immunization history is the registry and the hand-held record retained by the parent. The WIC staff also will enter any missing immunizations recorded on the paper record into the registry.
Using the SDIR as their tool, WIC staff have achieved their project goal of assessing the immunization record for any children receiving WIC services and being knowledgeably refer the parent to their health care provider if any shots are needed or due in the near future. Since the WIC - SDIR Collaborative was started in 2006, tens of thousands of immunization records have been entered for children of all age groups and of that at least ½ of those pertaining to children under 2 years of age.
This kind of collaboration between the SDIR and a community-based agency concerned about the health and well-being, particularly in relation to the immunization status of their clientele is made more efficient by the use of the immunization registry. Moreover, the addition of these immunization records to the registry allow the agency and public health to establish baseline and track on an ongoing basis, the coverage rates for this important population.
Click on the links below for the:
Click here for the Immunization Abbreviation tipsheet.
For more information on the WIC project, please contact:
Heidi DeGuzman
SDIR Registry Services Manager
Phone: (619) 542-4190
Email: heidi.deguzman@sdcounty.ca.gov
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