80 Arizonans honored for raising immunization rates, saving lives

80 Arizonans honored for raising immunization rates, saving lives

PHOENIX, AZ – The Arizona Partnership for Immunization (TAPI) honored 80 individuals, organizations, and initiatives during the 19^th Annual Arizona Big Shots awards dinner held on April 22, 2015 at the Phoenix Country Club.

Jim McPherson, a board member of TAPI since the organization’s inception in 1992, served as Master of Ceremonies. Presenting the awards were Debbie McCune Davis, executive director of TAPI and Arizona state representative; A.D. Jacobson, MD, board chair of TAPI; Delphis Richardson, MD, president of the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Cara Christ, MD Arizona Department of Health Services and Bob England, MD, director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

Keynote speaker was Karen Ernst, a co-director of Voices for Vaccines, a parent-driven organization that provides clear, science-based information on vaccines and disease and allows parents to join the national discussion on the importance on on-time immunizations. Karen spoke on the value of stories to bring meaning to public health data supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccination. Danielle McBurnett Stringer, MS, RN, PNP-c, in costume as Florence Nightingale, provided a perspective of public health during the Crimean War acknowledging that most soldiers’ deaths were not from injury but from vaccine preventable diseases.

Recipients of 2015 Arizona Big Shots Awards (by category):

Long Shots: Legislation, regulation, or public policy that has helped reduce the barriers to immunizations to improve the ability to account for the immunizations of Arizona’s population. This award will be renamed in memory of David Landrith, long-time Arizona Medical Association Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs and TAPI Advocacy Chair, who passed away this year.

• State Representative Heather Carter
• Jessica Rigler, MPH, CHES, Arizona Department of Health Services
• Dan Aspery, MD, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Spot Shots: Outstanding media coverage to educate the public about the value of immunization as a preventive health strategy.

• Denise Olson
• Tim Jacks, DO
• Danielle McBurnett Stringer, MS, RN, PNP-c
• Dana Goodloe and Alexandra Bhatti, MPH, Arizona Department of Health Services and recognition of Caitlin McGlade, Arizona Republic

Snap Shots: Special event partnerships that educate, promote, and provide immunizations to Arizona children.

• Copper Queen Medical Associates

• Karin Hoffman, RN, BA

• Employee Flu Shot Campaign – Pinal County Health District (Rebecca Navarro Strand, RN and Rachel Zanuk, MPH)

Buck Shots: Outstanding communication programs to educate the public and health care providers about immunizations.

• Take Control/Protect Me With 3 – Teen Vaccine Campaign (Motor Vehicle Network and National Meningitis Association)
• One and Be Done Campaign (La Paz County Health Department)
• All American Flu Fighters (Mike Popovich and Scientific Technologies Corp.)

Hot Shots: Going beyond the call of duty to the cause of increasing immunizations.

• Usha Venkataramanan, MD
• Amy Baltazar
• Diana Hu, MD

Up Shots: Individuals or organizations new to the immunization effort, but show a commitment to improving the health and wellness of Arizonans. This award is presented in memory of Andrea Fadok, a young and energetic immunization advocate who was killed in a car accident in the summer of 2000.

• John Tomazin, PA
• Genesis OB/GYN

Recipients of 2015 Daniel T. Cloud Outstanding Practice Awards

In addition, 58 healthcare practices that achieved a minimum 90 percent coverage level of their two-year-old patients (4 DTaP, 3 Polio, 1 MMR, 3 Hib, 3 Hep B, and 1 Varicella) and teen patients (1 Tdap, 1 MCV4, and 2 HPV vaccines) received the Daniel T. Cloud Outstanding Practice Award. A pediatric surgeon by profession, Dr. Cloud served as Chief of Surgery at Arizona Crippled Children’s Hospital and Chief of Staff at Good Samaritan Hospital. In 1981 he was elected to a one-year term as president of the American Medical Association. He served as TAPI’s board chair since its inception in 1993 until his death in 2010.

Cloud honorees for toddlers (new winners):

• Apache County Health Services Immunization Program
• Cigna Medical Group (Phoenix Central)
• El Rio Community Health Center (Pascua Yaqui)
• Gila River Health Care Pediatrics
• Greenlee County Health Department Immunization Program (Clifton and Duncan)
• Mariposa Community Health Center (Rio Rico)
• Mountain Park Health Center (Gateway)
• Navajo County Public Health Services Immunization Program (Holbrook and Winslow)
• Paloma Medical Group
• Pima County Health Department Immunization Program (South)
• Tucson Pediatrics
• Verde Valley Medical Clinic (Cottonwood)
• University of Arizona Health Network (Wilmot)
• Yuma County Public Health Department Immunization Program

Cloud honorees for toddlers (repeat winners):

• Adelante Healthcare (Buckeye, Gila Bend, Mesa, Phoenix Central, Surprise, and Wickenburg)
• Canyonlands Healthcare (Lake Powell)
• Cigna Medical Group (Chandler, Deer Valley, South Mountain, and Stapley)
• Dr. Teresa Longoria, MD PLC
• Gateway Pediatrics
• La Paz County Public Health Department
• Mesquite Pediatrics
• Mountain Park Health Center (Baseline, Goodyear, Maryvale, and Tempe)
• North Country Healthcare (Lake Havasu City)
• Pinal County Public Health Services District (Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Coolidge, and Mammoth)
• Sant Singh Khalsa, MD
• Southwest Pediatrics
• Sun Life Center for Children
• Sunrise Pediatrics
• Sunset Community Health Center (Somerton and Yuma)
• University of Arizona Health Network (Elks Clinic)

Cloud honorees for teenagers (new winners):

• All About Kids Pediatrics
• El Rio Community Health Center (Pascua Yaqui)
• Gila River Health Care (Ak-Chin Clinic)
• Sulphur Springs Medical Center
• Sun Life Family Health Center (San Manuel)
• University of Arizona Health Network (Wilmot)

• Cloud honorees for teenagers (repeat winners):

• Adelante Healthcare (Gila Bend)
• Apache County Public Health Services
• Casa Grande Pediatrics
• Cigna Medical Group (Tempe)
• Desert Mission Community Health Center

Other Recognition:Recipient of the 4^th annual U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Immunization Champion Award for the state of Arizona wasAvein Saaty-Tafoya, CEO, Adelante Healthcare.

Event sponsors: Adelante Healthcare, Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, Arizona Department of Health Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, CIGNA Medical Group of Arizona, Gila River Health Clinic, Health Choice, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Mountain Park Health Center, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, sanofi pasteur, Scientific Technologies Corp., and United Healthcare Community Plan.

About TAPI

The Arizona Partnership for Immunization (TAPI) is a non-profit statewide coalition of over 400 members. TAPI was formed in response to the alarming fact that in 1993, only 43 percent of Arizona’s two-year-olds were fully immunized against preventable childhood diseases like measles, mumps, polio, and whooping cough. Through the efforts of TAPI’s partners in the public and private sectors, immunization coverage rates have improved dramatically with more than 93 percent of Arizona’s children enrolled in childcare fully immunized. While significant progress has been made, each year almost 90,000 babies are born in Arizona, and none arrive immunized. For more information, visit whyimmunize.org.