Kalkaska Memorial Health Center clinics encourage full protection for youth
Education and inoculation are part of the formula for inspiring healthy lives at Kalkaska Memorial Health Center Teen Health Corners.
The clinics in Kalkaska and Forest Area schools offer students and their parents information and vaccinations for the school house and beyond the classrooms.
“Parents are pretty receptive,” said Joanna Durfee, RN, manager for the Teen Health Corners. “Our providers do a great job of educating and answering questions our parents have.”
The importance of vaccination has always been a focus at the Teen Health Corners and staff did not have to change any practices when Michigan experienced an outbreak of whooping cough and later saw a few cases of the measles.
The Michigan Care Improvement Registry now tracks student compliance with vaccination regimens. All Michigan schools and licensed childcare centers must report immunization program compliance to their local health department.
At the Teen Health Corners, Durfee said staff members go beyond the school requirements to encourage meeting Centers for Disease Control recommended vaccination tables.
“We promote all the vaccinations recommended by age,” she said. “We lead our 10-county area for HPV initiation, and second and third doses.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requires preschool and school-age children to have proof of their diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, meningococcal conjugate, and varicella vaccinations. Students become eligible for HPV vaccine at 11 years old.
The Teen Health Corners participates with the Vaccine for Children Program for children with Medicaid coverage. Children without health insurance pay at most $5 for their immunizations.
“Cost should never be a barrier to vaccinations,” Durfee said.
More information about vaccination requirements can be found at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website michigan.gov/mdch.