On the Path to Prevention from the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program August 2021

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. This annual observance highlights the importance of getting recommended vaccines across the lifespan to protect people against vaccine-preventable diseases through on-time vaccination. We know the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life, including the ability to attend important appointments and receive recommended vaccinations. In most parts of the United States, August also signals a return to school. This is a period traditionally recognized as when most children receive recommended vaccinations. There is no time to waste in ensuring children get caught up on recommended vaccinations and receive those for which they are due. Vaccines are safe and effective. Take advantage of resources highlighted in this month’s newsletter to promote accurate information about vaccinations.

Every month, our program will send an email like this. We hope you will share it with others who may be interested and ask them to subscribe, too. We also want to hear from you if you have opportunities and information we can share. Email PreventHPV@stjude.org with any questions.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder of the importance of vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people postponed or cancelled appointments and still might not have had the opportunity to catch up on needed health care services, including vaccinations.

This month encourage patients, family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors to schedule appointments to ensure they are up to date on annual exams and recommended vaccinations. Research has consistently shown that health care professionals are the most trusted source of vaccine information for parents and patients.

The CDC offers many educational resources, including the #HowIRecommend Video Series, which offers simple and practical guidance for health care providers to have successful vaccine conversations with parents and patients. These short videos demonstrate how to make effective vaccine recommendations, address common vaccine questions, and take a team-based approach to vaccination.

Health care providers play a critical role in helping eligible COVID-19 vaccine recipients understand the importance of vaccination and that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Check out this toolkit on Talking to Recipients about COVID-19 Vaccination for resources to help share clear and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines, raise awareness about the benefits of vaccination, and address common questions and concerns about what to expect when getting vaccinated.

For information on how to talk to parents about COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents, check out this COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit. Even health care providers who are not administering COVID-19 vaccines can help parents and guardians feel confident in choosing to get their children vaccinated by addressing questions and communicating the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Public Health Foundation and CDC have developed a digital communication toolkit with messages and graphics that help health care professionals emphasize the importance of vaccination. We also encourage everyone to become familiar with the CDC’s Interactive Vaccine Guide, which provides information on recommended vaccinations.

The back-to-school season is a special and important time of year for many reasons. As we prepare our children for a successful school year, we invest in their bright futures. This is also the perfect time to make sure they are up to date with vaccinations.

Vaccinations protect students from dangerous diseases and keep them safe and healthy. All recommended vaccines, not just required, are important for good health. Unvaccinated children are at risk for contracting diseases and spreading this exposure to other children and their families. Schools are a common place for this type of exposure. Vaccinations not only protect children when they are in school, but also protect their families, schools and communities. Vaccines are effective, provide long-lasting protection and are accessible.

As we approach the 2021–22 school year, support the prioritization of vaccinations for the safety of our children, their families and their communities. Check with your family provider about which vaccinations are recommended for your family. The CDC has released several timely resources to help schools and parents provide for a safe return to school this year. Parents can find out which vaccinations their child is due. In addition, the CDC has resources for encouraging routine childhood vaccinations, six ways schools can promote COVID-19 vaccination, and considerations for planning school-located vaccination clinics.

Julia Neely, program coordinator in the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, authored a blog on the St. Jude Together website and community for National Immunization Awareness Month. She highlighted how vaccinations protect children from the biggest bully of all—vaccine-preventable diseases.

A healthy Tennessee depends on the health and well-being of its children. Pandemic disruptions have been severe for recommended adolescent vaccinations, including whooping cough, HPV cancer prevention and meningitis. These disruptions have caused declines of 18% nationally compared with previous years, representing millions of missed doses. In Tennessee, adolescent vaccinations remain down by 17% overall from a previous decline as high as 64% due to the pandemic.

Last month, Tennessee health care providers, public health professionals, and community stakeholders partnered to issue an urgent call to action to catch up and stay ahead. The goal was to bring awareness to the pandemic’s effects on recommended adolescent vaccinations and to inspire action.

Everyone plays a role in helping adolescents get back on track with recommended vaccinations for safer schools, families and communities. Tennesseans must catch up on missed doses of recommended vaccines to preserve the health of families, schools and communities across the state. It will take the concerted effort and support of health care systems and providers, public health professionals, parents and caregivers to get back on track. Access the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital news release and statement.

Health care systems and providers, please:

Identify patients who have missed recommended vaccinations and contact them to schedule appointments.
Ask parents and guardians about the vaccination status of their children.
Use every patient visit as a vaccination opportunity.

Parents and caregivers, please:

Schedule that wellness visit you've been putting off for your child or teen. Health care providers across Tennessee are making it a priority to provide a safe environment to patients and their families.
Check in with your extended families and loved ones to make sure they are taking care of their health.

Now that a COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for adolescents age 12 and older, routinely recommended adolescent vaccinations can be given simultaneously. There is no time to waste. We must get caught up on recommended vaccinations and take advantage of COVID-19 vaccination to stay ahead of vaccine-preventable diseases.

All of us play a role in supporting catch-up on recommended vaccines that were missed. Please talk to your family members and friends and direct them to information.

HPV VAX NOW reaches young adults with HPV vaccination message

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office on Women's Health (OWH) launched the second phase of its HPV VAX NOW campaign. This campaign aims to build awareness of the risk of HPV-related cancers and to increase HPV vaccine initiation and completion rates among young adults ages 18–26 in Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. In addition, the campaign will continue to support health care providers in making strong HPV vaccine recommendations to their patients to help prevent HPV-related cancers.

Since phase 1 of the HPV VAX NOW campaign launched in January 2021, many people have expressed interest in partnering with OWH to improve HPV vaccination rates in their communities and regions. OWH staff members greatly appreciate the support and look forward to continued collaboration.

Although OWH advertising focuses on Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, the campaign materials are broadly applicable. OWH encourages use and distribution of these resources regardless of geographical location to help advance young adult HPV vaccination efforts across the country.

To learn more about the campaign, visit the HPV VAX NOW campaign web page. Campaign resources include information for young adults, guidance, tips and resources for health care providers, and details offered in this press release.

You can also find messages and graphics to promote the campaign in the toolkit to reach young adults and the toolkit to reach health care providers. We welcome you to share messages about the campaign on social media using the hashtag #HPVvaxNOW.

"What’s your favorite back to school memory?":
The St. Jude HPV Team shares their favorites

While preparing for the August e-newsletter, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program team began sharing favorite back-to-school stories. All of the recollections were jovial and lighthearted—reminding us of the excitement of this time of year. Below are a few of our favorites:

“There's a huge age difference between my only sibling and me, so I felt like an only child while growing up. Going back to school meant meeting new friends, having lots of social exchanges, and laughing and talking a lot. This helped to balance the quiet evenings I often experienced at home.” – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“Senior year was my favorite because I knew the next step was going to hold a new adventure for me and my friends. I started that year with expectancy and thoughts of change. I was in all the school programs and played the lead in the senior play. It was my last hoorah!” – Carol Minor, program coordinator

“I am the youngest child, and I grew up in a very small city in Mississippi in a time when internet wasn’t really a thing. No one had a cell phone, and you still had to cut out box tops. Every year, I mostly inherited clothes (my sisters are MUCH taller than I am), and I also inherited teachers from my sisters. The year I started high school, my mom and I went on a huge shopping spree, and I picked out clothes that matched my fashion identity.” – Julia Neely, program coordinator

“I remember teasing my two older brothers about going to school on the first few days of school because at the time I was in kindergarten and I didn’t have the same first day of school as my older siblings.” – Ursula LeFlore, administrative specialist

“I really liked going to school. I had amazing teachers in my small Iowa community. My favorite memories about the new school year were the new school supplies I would get. Even today, I like it when I get a new pen or new notepad. It reminds me of going back to school.” – Heather Brandt, PhD, director

Upcoming Events

Register for ‘Celebrating Henrietta Lacks: Building Trust – The Path Forward’
Tuesday, August 31, from 10 a.m. to noon EST, the Duke Cancer Institute and Massey Cancer Center will host “Celebrating Henrietta Lacks: Building Trust – The Path Forward.” This virtual event is part of a series that serves as an opportunity to engage with community members nationally. Register today.

Louisiana American Academy of Pediatrics 2021 holds Virtual HPV Summit
The Louisiana American Academy of Pediatrics recently hosted a Virtual HPV Summit. You can access recorded presentations from national experts on a variety of topics related to HPV vaccines and resources available to help increase series completion rates.

We are hiring: Join the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program has an exciting new opportunity to expand our team. We will hire two individuals who understand and share the objectives and impetus for St. Jude and our program focused on improving HPV vaccination uptake in the St. Jude catchment area and beyond.

We are looking for exceptional listeners, communicators and teammates with a passion to lead and serve others. Ideal candidates will be able to identify, establish and sustain community partnerships and cultivate a workplace culture of uninhibited idea generation, collaboration and problem-solving. There will be ample opportunities for professional development and growth.

If you are interested, apply or share the link with those who may be an exceptional fit for our team. For more information, visit stjude.org/hpv or email PreventHPV@stjude.org.