Regional Immunization Registry Set To Link Up With Statewide Network
Riverside and San Bernardino county public health officials are working to connect a Web-based regional immunization registry to a statewide network, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
After officials link the local registry to the statewide service, schools and health providers will be able to access records for children who received vaccinations in other parts of California.
The registry allows schools and health care providers to look up vaccination records if parents lose or misplace a child's records.
Schools can use the registry to verify a new student's immunization records, while health workers can use the network to determine when patients need certain vaccines.
The registry also can help prevent duplicated or missed vaccinations.
State, federal and other grants currently cover 80% of the $1.5 million annual cost of operating the regional registry. Parents can store their children's records in the system at no cost.
Expanding the Regional Registry
Of the roughly 1.2 million children who live in the area covered by the regional registry, about 55% have records in the database.
Officials say Kaiser Permanente is expected to join the registry this year, which could increase participation in the network by 25% to 35%.
Organizers of the network said they aim to add additional features to the system, such as vaccination records for adults and print-out capabilities for official records (Klampe, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/18). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.