County clarifies that Pfizer-funded reminder postcards use limited registry data, supervisors ask for clearer opt-out

Administrator Witt briefed the committee on a long-running program in which the county sends childhood immunization reminder postcards. Witt said the county now contracts with an external vendor in Toronto that mails the postcards; the vendor receives payment from Pfizer for the mailing service, which reduces county costs.

Witt said the vendor “gets paid then by Pfizer” and that the arrangement has been in place for about two years. HHS Director Barratt told supervisors the county provides minimal information to the vendor — the address and the child's first name drawn from the Wisconsin Immunization Registry — and that the county's data-privacy agreement with the Wisconsin Immunization Registry prevents sharing protected health information. "We only provide them with the address and the the name, first name of the child," Barratt said.

Supervisors expressed concern that the postcards use county letterhead and logo while also stating they were paid for by Pfizer, creating a public-perception issue. Supervisor Shirley said it "looks like we're sending it out" but that the card also "says paid for by Pfizer," and asked that an opt-out instruction be printed on the postcard. Barratt said the county intends to add opt-out instructions; in the meantime, residents may call the department to be removed from the mailing list.

Corporation counsel and other panelists noted that local public-health entities are required to engage in surveillance and immunization work under state administrative code. The committee asked county staff to research whether sending that specific postcard is a statutory requirement and to return with an answer at the next meeting. No policy change was adopted at this session; staff agreed to add opt-out language to the postcard and to bring statutory research back to the committee.