The Critical Role Vaccines Play in Community Health

Issue: September - 2022

Life was turned upside down when Covid-19 arrived overtwo years ago. There were a multitude of changes we hadto make in terms of how we lived and moved around inour worlds, from work meetings transitioning from in-person toZoom calls, to masking up whenever we left the house.The single most important development that allowed us topicture living more as we did pre-pandemic was the develop-ment of the Covid-19 vaccines. Being vaccinated drasticallyreduces the chances of being hospitalized or dying if youcontract the virus, and now we’re fortunate that all children,from six months to 17 years of age can receive the vaccine.I was very invested in becoming involved in the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau Covid-19 Vaccine Initiative. There were morethan 20 vaccine clinics held, and we were able to vaccinate over14,000 community members. It’s hard to describe how impact-ful such an effort has been to our community wellbeing.In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine, I want to highlightthe importance of keeping up to date on all of our vaccinesthroughout our lives.Important vaccines for babies and children include:• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)• Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP)• Hepatitis A (HAV)• Hepatitis B (HepB)• Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib)• Pneumococcal (PCV13)• Polio (IPV)• Rotavirus (RV)• Varicella (Chickenpox)Starting at six months of age, children should receive anannual flu shot, and those should continue every yearthroughout adulthood.If you’re an adult, it’s important to speak with your primarycare physician about any boosters you may need, and adultsage 65 or over should do the same, as well as make sure thatthey receive yearly flu shots, Covid-19 vaccines and boosters,and the two pneumonia vaccines, PCV13 and PPSV23. Adults50 and over should receive the shingles vaccine as well.I know that some people question the safety of vaccines, forboth their children and themselves. If you do have concerns,talk to your physician about them. Often, they can explainwhat side effects are possible after receiving a vaccine, andhow very rare serious ones are.Being vaccinated means that you’re not only protectingyourself, you’re protecting babies, older people, and individu-als with compromised immune systems, like those undergoingcancer treatment.With schools starting again for the fall, there’s no better timefor you to take stock of what vaccines you and your familymight need and schedule an appointment to get them.Need toestablish care with a healthcare provider? Visitmissionhealth.org/provider-finder.

by Tom Neal,CEO/CNO, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital