A Successful Public/Private Partnership
What is WIN?
The West Virginia Immunization Network (WIN) is a statewide coalition that works to create an environment in West Virginia where every resident is appropriately immunized. WIN envisions a future in which all West Virginian’s from the newly born to adolescents to seniors will be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases in order to improve the quality of life for all West Virginians. To achieve our vision, WIN works to foster comprehensive, sustainable state and community policies and practices to ensure that West Virginia’s residents are protected from the consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases throughout their lifespan.
Regional Coalitions
WIN began in 1996 with approximately 30 members, but has expanded significantly to include well over 300 public and private sector members from across the state. To enable members to become more active in WIN, regional coalitions were established in Morgantown and Beckley/Lewisburg in 2011. An additional regional coalition is also being developed in Martinsburg.
WIN’s Work
To improve immunization rates among West Virginians, WIN focuses much of its work on:
- Quarterly trainings for health care providers. WIN offers quarterly trainings that feature national and local speakers on a variety of immunization and vaccine-preventable disease topics. Continuing education credits are frequently offered at these trainings for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists. The trainings provide attendees with new and up-to-date information on immunizations, recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), disease surveillance, outbreak response, and best practices for improving immunization rates. In addition, the trainings enable participants to develop local networks through which they may work together to improve community vaccination coverage.
- Parent, patient and community education. Immunizations have become a victim of their own success. Due to their effectiveness, many dangerous illnesses have been eliminated or drastically reduced, saving lives and sparing countless families. However, as a result, our collective memories have lost the painful reality of polio, measles, meningitis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Many people feel a false sense of security, a misconception that these diseases are merely harmless relics of the past. Thus, to educate the public about the importance of vaccination, WIN has developed a variety of educational materials, including adolescent and adult posters, postcards, and brochures;, electronic toolkits; and DVDs that are available at no cost throughout WV.
- Faces of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Campaign. As part of WIN’s work to educate the public about the dire consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases, WIN created its Faces of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases project to remind all why vaccines are essential to protect and preserve the health of our residents. Recent outbreaks of whooping cough and measles in the United States are evidence of the harmful consequences that can return when vaccination rates fall. And in today’s mobile society, people easily travel from place to place, thus, the potential to spread these resurgent diseases travels with them. The Faces of Vaccine Preventable Disease videos feature five individuals who have been impacted by a vaccine-preventable disease. Each profile puts a face on the statistics and shows the true cost in human suffering of not vaccinating.
