Officials in Sacramento County Launch Vaccination Tracking System
Shots for Tots -- a coalition of health care providers, businesses and community organizations -- on Tuesday in Sacramento County officially launched the Kids Immunization Data System, a computerized registry to track childhood vaccinations, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Under the system, providers will offer parents official copies of their child's immunization history, regardless of whether they have changed doctors or moved to another county. Parents can choose whether to add their child's name to the registry, which can only be accessed by authorized private physicians, public health clinics and school nurses. Officials say the registry will help eliminate duplicate vaccinations.
Shots for Tots aims to immunize 90% of children in participating counties by 2010. About 13,000 children younger than age six in Sacramento County, or 10% of the total number of children in the county, have enrolled in the KIDS registry.
An enrollment campaign for the program began last year, and the system currently is used in El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. About 160 clinics participate in the registry. The Department of Health Services Immunization Branch and First Five provided funding for the program (Sanchez, Sacramento Bee, 4/11).