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Portage County public health outlines immunization programs, schedules Oct. 18 mass flu clinic
Summary
Public health supervisor Lynn Croft told the Health and Human Services Board the department is expanding school partnerships and outreach to raise childhood and adolescent vaccination rates and will hold a mass flu clinic Oct. 18 to practice outbreak response and provide free state-supplied influenza vaccine.
Lynn Croft, Portage County public health supervisor, told the Health and Human Services Board the department’s immunization programs aim to improve access, reduce barriers for underserved residents and monitor compliance with Wisconsin immunization rules.
Croft said the department runs the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and a Vaccines for Adults (VFA) program, and described provider requirements: annual enrollment and medical-advisor signoff, appropriate cold‑chain storage and temperature monitoring, annual staff training and written emergency plans, plus biannual site visits for compliance verification. "We do have to go through an annual enrollment signature by a medical advisor," she said.
She reported that in the last school year 100% of school districts that contract with Portage County nursing services met immunization compliance; Croft named contracted schools including Bancroft and Sacred Heart. She said districts that do not contract with the county showed lower compliance.
On eligibility and billing, Croft said VFC serves children birth through 18 and provides vaccines to enrolled providers free of charge; providers may charge an administration fee but may not deny vaccines to clients able and willing to pay. She said the VFA program targets uninsured or underinsured adults and requires providers not to charge vaccine or administration fees under current guidelines. Croft noted a recent change affecting underinsured children, who now must seek vaccines at federally qualified health centers rather than through VFC providers.
Croft reviewed recent delivery trends: vaccinations given at the county clinic have decreased while off‑site (school‑based) vaccinations have increased. She reported Portage County’s influenza vaccination rate at 32.7%, below the Wisconsin rate of 34.8%, and said the county’s 24‑month benchmark compliance for early‑childhood vaccines is about 73.5%.
To raise uptake, Croft described reminder/recall efforts, targeted MMR and adolescent reminders, scheduling second‑dose appointments at the time of first contact, school‑based clinics and education to support informed decision‑making. She also announced a mass vaccination clinic scheduled for Oct. 18 to practice outbreak response and distribute state‑supplied flu vaccine at HHS and community sites, with an expected distribution target of roughly 200 doses.
The presentation concluded with questions from board members about serving uninsured populations and program eligibility; Croft said adult vaccines provided through the VFA program are not charged and that fees for children can be waived or reduced to improve affordability.
The board will receive a public‑health update at the next meeting.
