Overview
Engaging Community Healthcare Professionals in Improving Adult Immunization Practices to Reduce the Burden of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
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Do you work with clients or patients to restore good physical or oral health, help develop coping skills and support emotional well-being, provide education about medications, relieve pain, or promote good nutrition and fitness? If you are a health and wellness professional who works in one of many licensed and accredited fields and regularly engages with the members of the public, you play an integral role in protecting and promoting individual health and the health of communities. This includes talking to your patients or clients regularly about the importance of preventive medicine as part of holistic healthcare.
One critical component of preventive healthcare is immunization against preventable diseases. In adults aged 50 years and older, diseases such as influenza, pneumococcal disease, RSV, shingles, and COVID-19, are estimated to cost over $26 billion each year in the US, and it has been estimated that 40,000–50,000 adults die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).
In your role, you can enhance community efforts to improve adult vaccination practices. This certified online training program provides you with the education and tools you need to promote health equity and have informed conversations about the importance, effectiveness, and safety of immunizations as part of comprehensive preventive health strategies.
This activity is designed for medical and wellness professionals including but not limited to fitness instructors, physical therapists, estheticians, occupational therapists, nutritionists, psychologists, social workers, community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physicians, nurses, massage therapists, chiropractors, case managers, respiratory therapists, speech pathologists, and drug addiction counselors.
Several vaccines are recommended for adults including those for COVID-19, influenza, RSV, tetanus, shingles (herpes zoster), pneumococcus, and hepatitis B. However, the diseases that are preventable by these vaccines continue to cause significant burdens for both individuals and communities due to suboptimal vaccine uptake among adult populations. For example, pneumococcal pneumonia is responsible for an estimated 400,000 hospitalizations each year in the US, yet vaccination rates remain low, particularly among those patients with underlying comorbidities or risk factors. The suboptimal uptake in adult vaccinations can be attributed to several factors, from poor access to vaccine hesitancy, and are influenced by age, ethnicity, socioeconomics, and education. One aspect of vaccine hesitancy that can be addressed in a variety of community settings is frustration with the healthcare community in the failure to validate concerns and engage in constructive conversation that respects views of patients. Community health associates, including but not limited to pharmacists, chiropractors, fitness instructors, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, estheticians, and social workers can help address vaccine hesitancy by providing reliable and relatable information; building trust through personal experiences; facilitating open dialogue within the community; and actively debunking misinformation all while tailoring their approach in the context of how they engage with individuals within the community. Therefore, because professionals in these fields see many individuals on a regular and routine basis with the goal of improving overall health and wellness, they can play a significant role in helping to improve vaccination rates through personal interactions that foster trust and provide time to answer questions and reinforce the importance of vaccination as a vital tool for improving individual and community health.
Upon completion of this activity, learners will be able to:
• Describe the burden of vaccine preventable diseases such as RSV, influenza, pneumococcal disease, COVID-19, and shingles in adults
• Summarize the latest evidence around available vaccines and describe their role in improving individual and public health
• Identify common misconceptions about vaccines and formulate responses to concerns commonly identified by vaccine-hesitant adults
• Apply community-based strategies to overcome barriers to increasing vaccination rates in at-risk adult populations
• Describe the burden of vaccine preventable diseases such as RSV, influenza, pneumococcal disease, COVID-19, and shingles in adults
• Summarize the latest evidence around available vaccines and describe their role in improving individual and public health
• Identify common misconceptions about vaccines and formulate responses to concerns commonly identified by vaccine-hesitant adults
• Apply community-based strategies to overcome barriers to increasing vaccination rates in at-risk adult populations
Content topics
- Review of Epidemiologic Data and Clinical Burden
- Common Adult Vaccinations
- ACIP Recommendations
- Improving Adult Vaccination Rates: Community Health Professionals
Provided by the Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL).
This educational activity is supported by independent medical education grants from GSK and Merck & Co., Inc.
Mary Koslap-Petraco DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP
Clinical Assistant Professor
Stony Brook University School of Nursing
Stony Brook, NY
Nurse Consultant immunize.org
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner House Calls
Massapequa Park, NY
Clinical Assistant Professor
Stony Brook University School of Nursing
Stony Brook, NY
Nurse Consultant immunize.org
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner House Calls
Massapequa Park, NY
Kaitlyn Rivard, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, AAVHIP
Clinical Pharmacist, Infectious Diseases, Vaccines, and Public Health
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL) requires that the faculty participating in an accredited continuing education activity disclose all affiliations or other financial relationships within 24 months (1) with the manufacturers of any commercial product(s) and/or provider(s) of commercial services discussed in an educational presentation and (2) with all ineligible companies. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to this activity.
The following financial relationships have been provided:
Mary Koslap-Petraco DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP
No financial relationships to disclose
Kaitlyn Rivard, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, AAVHIP
Advisor: Pfizer
Consultant: Field Quest, Office Hours, Wolters Kluwer
ACHL staff members and others involved with the planning, development, and review of the content for this activity have no relevant affiliations or financial relationships to disclose.
The content for this activity was developed independently of any ineligible company. All materials are included with permission. The opinions expressed are those of the faculty and are not to be construed as those of the publisher or grantor(s).
This educational activity was planned and produced in accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Recommendations involving clinical medicine in a continuing medical education (CME/CE) activity must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients. All scientific research referred to, reported, or used in CME/CE in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.
This CME/CE activity might describe the off-label, investigational, or experimental use of medications and/or devices that may exceed their FDA-approved labeling. Physicians should consult the current manufacturers’ prescribing information for these products. ACHL requires the speaker to disclose that a product is not labeled for the use under discussion.
Discussion of scientific information on unapproved uses (SIUU), off-label, investigational, or experimental drug/device use: none
This activity will take approximately two hours to complete. To receive credit, learners are required to complete the pretest, view the online activity, and complete the posttest and evaluation. To receive credit, 70% must be achieved on the posttest. A certificate will be immediately available. There is no fee to participate in the activity or for the generation of the certificate.
For questions, contact Karen Catino at kcatino@achlcme.org
Partial credit may not be awarded for CPE credit; participation in the complete activity is required to receive credit.
The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.Physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses may participate in this educational activity and earn a certificate of completion as AAPA, AANP, and ANCC accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ through their reciprocity agreements.
The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
This activity has been approved for 2.0 contact hours.
ACPE Universal Activity Number: 0396-0000-25-019-H06-P and 0396-0000-25-019-H06-T
Activity Type: Application
Release Date: 9/1/2025
Expiration Date: 9/1/2026
CPE credit will be submitted to CPE Monitor® on the first business day of each month.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 17273 for 2.0 contact hours
The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning is a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Accredited Provider with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). CDR Credentialed Practitioners will receive 2.0 Continuing Professional Education units (CPEUs) for completion of this activities/materials. Level 2. CDR Accredited Provider #AC001.
RDs and DTRs may submit additional evaluations of the quality of this program/material at QualityCPE@eatright.org.
The activity number for this activity is 189492.
This activity has been pre-approved by the American Council on Exercise for 0.2 continuing education credits (2 hour).
AARC: 2.0 hours Continuing Respiratory Care Education
This course has been approved for Continuing Respiratory Education (CRCE) credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care.
Course number: 194885000
The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL) is an approved provider of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. Provider #1002717
A certificate of achievement will be given upon completion of this home study course for 2.0 CE.
This program has been pre-approved for 2.0 CEU by the Commission for Case Manager Certification to provide continuing education credit to Certified Case Managers (CCMs).
CME Online is recognized by the PACE program of the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards of the Academy of General Dentistry Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE) through the joint program provider approval of CME Online and Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning. CME Online is approved for awarding FAGD/MAGD credit.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards and requirements for approval of providers of continuing education in podiatric medicine through a joint provider agreement between CME Online and Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning. CME Online is approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education as a provider of continuing education in podiatric medicine. CME Online has approved this activity for a maximum of 1.84 continuing education contact hours.
