Dr. Jerome Larkin, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, explains how his state achieved such impressive vaccination rates; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, ASTHO's senior vice president of Health Initiatives...
Dr. Jerome Larkin, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, explains how his state achieved such impressive vaccination rates; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, ASTHO's senior vice president of Health Initiatives, tells us how to change the conversation around immunizations; and the Essentials of Leadership and Management Workshop Series —Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate— begins on Wednesday, April 2nd.
ASTHO Web Page: Series Topics and Sessions
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, March 17, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
JEROME LARKIN:
So, our childhood vaccination rates are about 97% which we think is great. We've done a lot of work to try and get to that number, including making sure that vaccines are available to not just children but all of our entire population, and that the costs to the recipient are zero.
SILVERS:
ASTHO member, Dr. Jerome Larkin is director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Rhode Island has some impressive vaccination numbers currently. We spoke with Larkin last week at ASTHO's annual Spring Leadership Forum as the measles outbreaks continue.
LARKIN:
This has really been important with the recent outbreak of measles in New Mexico and Texas, because that 97% rate actually correlates with good herd immunity. So, we're optimistic that even if the epidemic spreads a little bit more, that we will still have good protection in our population.
SILVERS:
Larkin attributes the high vaccination rate to a couple of factors.
LARKIN:
You know, the things that have really driven our improvements in that area are that cost is, again, should be zero to the patient. We have now in statute and regulation that pharmacists can give vaccines. So, that's actually been a really important means.
SILVERS:
Larkin and his team use every tool in their toolkit to make vaccinations happen in communities across the state.
LARKIN:
So, we use every mode available to us, whether that be social media, you know, more traditional advertisements on things like busses or bus stops, outreach through pediatricians, and through our schools. We actually run many vaccine clinics for influenza and COVID, specifically in our schools, and we actually open that up, not just students at the school, but their families. Anybody in the town can actually come in.
SILVERS:
ASTHO's Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge was also in attendance in D.C. last week. She's a practicing pediatrician, and we talked to her about the current measles outbreaks.
KIMBERLEE WYCHE-ETHERIDGE:
Seeing the numbers continue to rise, as far as the numbers of infections that have been reported, which, of course, means that there are more in the community that just haven't been identified yet. And bringing us back to a place where we have to be concerned about children and compromised people dying from measles is very, very concerning from the public health, but also from the medical standpoint.
SILVERS:
Wyche-Ethridge says public health needs to do two critical things to change the conversation around vaccines. One is providing accurate and truthful information.
WYCHE-ETHERIDGE:
I think the most important thing that we can do in public health and also in medicine, is make sure that we're providing the accurate, truthful information to families that may be a little bit less convinced about the importance of protecting their children and their loved ones around vaccine-preventable diseases. People need accurate and truthful information, and that's becoming a little bit harder to find because there's so many alternate messages that are out there. The second is listening. We're so often so passionate about vaccines and the importance of immunizations that we will listen, to respond. Whatever you're going to say, I'm going to respond with the importance of vaccines and why you need to do this. But if we're not listening to what those concerns are, or where that family, that individual may be coming from, then we're not in a position to respond in the best way appropriate.
SILVERS:
ASTHO has many resources regarding immunizations. Use the link in the show notes to learn more.
Also today, a reminder that the Essentials of Leadership and Management Workshop Series, 'Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate,' begins on Wednesday, April 2. The first session focuses on helping participants develop strategic skills to improve self awareness, decision-making, and team performance. Use the link in the show notes to register today.
Finally, this morning, sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly newsletter. You can have all the latest public health news delivered to your inbox each week so you never miss a story. There's a link in the show notes to sign up.
That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.
