ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
For the Immunize Kansas Coalition, the last year has been a period of remarkable progress and resilience.
That according to Director Geovannie Gone in her letter submitted as part of the coalition’s annual report presented at IKC’s annual meeting in late July in Topeka.
IKC Community Health Specialist Patricia Fierro said the meeting likewise featured coalition staff and partners presenting recaps of the organization’s happenings throughout the past year. This information included IKC’s progress and numbers as to finances and contacts made.
Fierro said the coalition has grown tremendously since Gone was hired as the director, along with community health specialists throughout the state.
Fierro said specialists themselves did presentations on partnerships they have established, how many people were reached, events specialists were able to attend, vaccination clinics in which they participated and numerous ways people were contacted about the importance of vaccines.
Fierro said IKC continues to work toward its vision of protecting all Kansans from all vaccine-preventable diseases.
“There’s always vaccinations,” she said. “We’re not only COVID. We focus on all vaccines in general for infants, children, adults and seniors. It would be the shingles, COVID, influenza, RSV.”
The school year is close to being in session, and flu season will likely begin in the coming months. With this in mind, IKC, along with its partners, will likewise be busy immunizing everyone.
“The health departments have been very active in doing those back to school events,” Fierro said. “We have been partnering with them not only with the back to school, but getting prepared for the flu season and working on getting outreach scheduled for a lot of these companies. Being able to go out and get these done at different locations is what we’re looking for, teaming up with other pharmacies and whoever’s available to get these done.”
As for the upcoming year, IKC will have an event Oct. 26 in Garden City.
“It is called ‘Entre Mujeres: The Health of Women,’” Fierro said. “That day, we will talk about cancer prevention, which would be women’s health in general.”
Fierro said men are invited to participate as well due to the importance of husbands and fathers knowing health of women for their wives and daughters.
“We will also be providing HPV vaccines, which is the vaccine that helps prevent six types of cancer,” she said. “We will be immunizing that day, so we’ll have that opportunity as well.”
Fierro herself connected with the local Walgreens in Liberal to host a mobile vaccine clinic. Seeking out those who were uninsured or underinsured, she contacted the owner of R&E Tire Shop and the manager of Heifer Source Dairy to encourage their participation in a vaccinee clinic at their workplace.
Both employers were excited about the event as it would not only be convenient for their employees, but also prepare them for the upcoming flu season. Working in collaboration, Walgreeens and IKC vaccinated 35 employees at both mobile vaccine clinics that possibly would not have received their vaccinations due to their work schedules.
Gone called the success the coalition has witnessed a testament to the unwavering dedication of IKC’s team and board of directors’ commitment to further the mission, collaborative spirit of partners and the tireless efforts of the coalition’s members.
“IKC’s work has not only made a significant impact locally, but has also gained national attention, highlighting the importance and effectiveness of our initiatives,” she said.
Additionally, Gone said the coalition’s work has been instrumental in building trust in communities thanks to community health specialists like Fierro.
“By engaging with local leaders, healthcare providers and community organizations, we have created a network of trusted voices advocating for immunizations,” Gone said. “This grassroots approach has been crucial in overcoming vaccine hesitancy and ensuring our message resonates with diverse populations.”
Looking ahead, Gone said the IKC remains committed to building on this momentum.
“The challenges of vaccine education are ongoing, and we must continue to innovate and adapt to meet the evolving needs within our community,” she said. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the success of our coalition over the past year. Your dedication and passion have made a profound difference, and together, we have a standard of excellence that will inspire others.”
