H1N1 school-based vaccination program: Lessons learned from the Laredo Independent School District and City of Laredo Health Department

Background/Purpose: The H1N1 pandemic brought attention to the preparedness of existing infrastructure and programs to respond quickly to a public health emergency.

The purpose of this study is to describe a collaborative, district-wide initiative to vaccinate children against the H1N1 virus and to report on best practices identified through the implementation process.

The Laredo Independent School District (LISD), located on the US-Mexico border, collaborated early with the City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) in response to the emergence of H1N1 in Mexico. LISD has 25,278 students at 30 campuses. Its students are primarily Hispanic (99.5%) and economically disadvantaged (96.5%).

Methodology: Combined staff from LISD and CLHD delivered vaccinations at school sites. Three models were developed and implemented at 25 schools over a two-month period: • Single-school vaccine clinic with no parent pre-consent, during school hours • Single-school vaccine clinic with parent pre-consent, during school hours • Joint vaccine clinic with no parent pre-consent, after school hours

Findings/Results: The collaboration between agencies yielded high efficiency with an average of 200 persons vaccinated per hour. Twenty-seven percent of LISD students were immunized. Factors affecting participation rates were school level grouping (elementary, middle or high), timing of the clinic relative to the severe phase of the epidemic, and vaccine clinic model.

Significance: Rapid response is required during public health emergencies. Collaborative efforts allow for efficient vaccination at school sites. Participation rate in future public health emergencies can be maximized by implementing lessons learned through this district-wide vaccination initiative.