Early in the 2009 H1N1 vaccination effort, daycares, schools, colleges and universities in the state were strongly encouraged to vaccinate people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health (DHH OPH) partnered with Louisiana's Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Education (DOE) and the Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) to organize outreach efforts and host school-located vaccination campaigns.
The goal of the social services partnership was protection, education and outreach to clients served through DSS-licensed and -monitored facilities. This included licensed child-care centers, family run day-care homes, in-home child care providers, foster homes and licensed child residential facilities. DSS implemented an H1N1 education campaign to serve clients at those facilities. DHH and DSS developed and disseminated materials on where to receive H1N1 influenza vaccination and pandemic flu preparedness. Nine regional infection control trainings were also held that included basic information about pandemic influenza and preparedness.
The Louisiana DHH also partnered with the DOE, which worked with school districts to provide information about H1N1 and to conduct mass vaccination campaigns. Guidance was provided to school districts that wanted to host vaccination campaigns. Other districts hosted strike teams from DHH to conduct and document the H1N1 vaccines. In these instances, DHH OPH went into each participating school to complete a point of dispensing (POD) assessment to plan the best clinic set-up and flow for mass vaccination. Each school was given the flexibility to determine if it wanted to include only students; students and staff; or students, their families, and staff. DHH OPH primarily administered the nasal spray vaccine Flu Mist at the school clinics, reserving their injectable vaccine for students with underlying health conditions. Strike teams were used more than 1,250 times from November 2009 through February 2010. Louisiana also planned a "school catch up week" in late March for any students who missed the first round of vaccinations or need to receive their second doses. This information will be shared with all school districts via the communication network that was established for the campaign.
Louisiana DHH worked through the BOR to promote H1N1 vaccination at colleges and universities. In Louisiana, people ages 5 to 24 experienced the highest percentage of hospitalizations and outpatient visits. Meetings, presentations, and personal contacts were used to encourage colleges and universities to register on the Louisiana Immunization Network for Kids Statewide (LINKS) system and provide H1N1 vaccination on campus through student health centers. DHH OPH recommended schools of higher education conduct H1N1 vaccine campaigns to protect students during spring break in March 2010. These facilities were strongly encouraged to conduct clinics for students and staff free of charge during convenient times and locations. DHH strike teams have been offered to facilitate this process. The facilities were also encouraged to use this response effort as an opportunity to test their emergency response plans.
