The Immunization Partnership

TIP aims to accomplish Community Immunity in Texas, focusing on 2030 Healthy People Goals

In the long-term, The Immunization Partnership aims to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases by developing and coordinating community resources through public and private partnerships in order to achieve and sustain Community Immunity immunization rates in Texas.
In the short-term, TIP focuses on accomplishing the 2030 Healthy People Goals, which include increasing vaccination coverage levels for DTaP and MMR vaccines among children by age 2, increasing vaccine coverage levels of HPV vaccine among adolescents aged 13-15, and increasing the percentage of persons aged 6 months and older who are vaccinated annually for seasonal influenza.
Achieving and sustaining Community Immunity takes diligence and a long-term commitment. The Immunization Partnership is dedicated to ensuring that future generations are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases.

TIP addresses the root causes of low immunization rates through the focus areas of Education, Advocacy for evidence-based public policy, and support of Immunization Best Practices Research.

TIP’s education programming address gaps in education by providing forums and webinars to update providers, nurses, and other members of the medical community on the latest in vaccine safety and efficacy as well as offering tools and strategies to help address the vaccine hesitancy they encounter from some parents and others in their patient cohort. TIP’s education programming also provides parents and other members of the non-medical community with information regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines through social and traditional media, promotes the normalization of vaccines, and combats the misinformation widely disseminated on the Internet.

TIP’s advocacy programming promotes evidence-based pro-immunization public policies that address gaps in current legislation that contribute to low immunization rates. TIP holds stakeholder meetings every other year in 7-10 locations around Texas to better understand the obstacles and issues around immunizations in each location. TIP develops legislative priorities to address the obstacles and enlists stakeholders, immunization coalitions, community partners, and individuals to educate their local legislators and advocate for legislation that addresses their concerns and priorities. TIP’s advocacy program attempts to educate elected representatives on the value of fully immunized communities, the importance of pro-immunization legislation, and the ramifications of proposed anti-vaccine legislation.

TIP’s advocacy programming supports the growth of its grassroots community network, Immunize Texas, created to engage and educate parents and community members with evidence-based immunization tools so they could educate and advocate for immunizations within their peer groups and circles of influence, as well as to their local and state elected representatives. TIP’s advocacy programming also includes its Building Coalitions across Texas program which currently supports 10 immunization coalitions around Texas helping to sustain and expand the activities, membership and organizational structure of their coalitions.

TIP’s Best Practices Research programming addresses the root causes of low immunization rates by training individual medical clinics to implement best practices that improve immunization rates within their clinics, including reminder recall systems that insure patients return for follow-up doses of vaccines so the full series is completed. Best Practices Research programming conducts research and analysis on legislative policies enacted in Texas and other states to determine their impact and effectiveness on immunization rates in those states. The results help advocates and legislators improve current immunization policies and create more impactful legislation in Texas and other states.

TIP is the only organization in Texas solely focused on the issue of immunization. Through its network of partners, its in-house public health expertise, and 10 years of working toward its goals, TIP is uniquely positioned to employ its strategies for achieving Community Immunity.

In addition to foundation, government and corporate funding partners, TIP has developed partnerships with over 100 organizations ranging from hospitals and health systems to school districts and universities, local immunization coalitions and community organizations. Through these partnerships, TIP expands it advocacy networks, distributes educational content and conducts best practices research. TIP is continuously looking for ways to achieve its goals by working with its partners, as well as identifying and connecting with new partners.

TIP is well-known for its pro-immunization advocacy expertise in Texas and around the country. Through its advocacy efforts, TIP has helped pass 23 pro-immunization laws and policies. In addition to supporting 10 immunization coalitions across Texas, TIP operates Immunize Texas, a network of community and parent advocates trained to share evidence-based knowledge about immunizations within their social circles, including family, friends and elected representatives.

Led by CEO and President Allison N. Winnike, JD, an expert in public health law, TIP expanded its best practices focus from clinical research to include law and policy best practices research and studies on school exemption rates. The new research led to more targeted training and education to lower exemption rates and an adjusted approach to immunization policy proposals.

TIP serves as a resource for reliable information to help the public make smart choices about vaccines so that Community Immunity is achieved, benefiting all Texans.

During its first 10 years, TIP’s programs and initiatives have matured and expanded. Initially focused on Houston, TIP expanded its programming to reach communities all over Texas, including opening a satellite office in San Antonio in 2015. Over the next 10 years, TIP plans to expand with satellite offices in other Texas cities, and create a resource institute of best practices for advocacy and policy to be shared by immunization organizations across the nation.

TIP’s advocacy program has helped pass 23 laws and policies related to immunizations, it has built Immunize Texas, its parent and stakeholder advocacy network, to over 3000 members, supported over 15 local immunization coalitions in the past 10 years, built an online platform for coalitions to connect to each other online, and published 5 publications on the state of immunizations in Texas.

TIP’s education program has conducted 3 immunization summits, held countless forums and webinars to educate providers, nurses, community health workers and other in the medical community, often offering continuing education units, and educated the community through social media, op-eds, radio and tv interviews, and blogs on TIP’s website.

TIP’s best practices program has executed the Immunization Champions Program in over 40 clinics, explored the prospect of establishing a national Immunization Institute that would help disseminate best practices across America, and conducted law and policy research on immunization laws currently in place in all 50 states.

It is important that we continue to educate and advocate for vaccines to help people make smart choices about immunizations. Without widespread commitment to immunizations, many children and adults might suffer needlessly from diseases that are easily preventable. Each individual’s decision to be immunized affects all the other members of a community. If one person is protected through immunization, the people that come into contact with that individual are also protected against disease. Conversely, if a person chooses not to immunize themselves or their children, everyone around that person or child is at an increased risk for contracting vaccine-preventable diseases.