Local pharmacies provide vaccinations

Vaccines are the best way to prevent life-threatening diseases and now it’s easier for parents to get these critical shots for their adolescent-aged children.

All they have to do is visit their neighborhood Omaha pharmacy.

UNMC’s College of Public Health and College of Pharmacy and the Douglas County Health Department have launched an information campaign to let parents know that vaccines can be given to children 9 years old and above at the local pharmacy.

The campaign is part of a two-year, community-based research study in partnership with CVS, Walgreens and Hy-Vee pharmacies in the greater Omaha area. The goal is to increase awareness of this service, provide information about vaccines and improve the rate of vaccinated children in Douglas County. It is funded by a $300,000 anonymous donation through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Many families are unaware that pharmacies are an option for vaccinating their children, said Shannon Maloney, Ph.D., assistant professor, health promotion, College of Public Health, and co-principal investigator of the study. “Most families live within five miles of a pharmacy that typically offer vaccines at hours convenient for working families — late evenings and weekends.

“The Healthy People 2020 initiative set a national target to reach at least 80 percent coverage of adolescents who are up-to-date on these three vaccines. In Nebraska, only 61 percent of females and 56 percent of males are up-to-date on their HPV vaccine. We have a vaccine that can protect against cancer. Let’s help make Nebraska the healthiest state in the nation by ensuring all our children are protected against cancers associated with HPV.”

Donald Klepser, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice and co-principal investigator, said adolescents are less likely to have regular (or annual) visits with their physician when compared to babies and preschoolers.

“One of the goals of this project is to increase adolescent vaccination rates by offering all of the recommended adolescent vaccines at the same time as the adolescent gets their annual flu shot. There is no need to make a special visit or separate appointment.”