IDOH campaign to help families with required school immunizations

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health is partnering with local healthcare entities across the state to host immunization clinics this summer to help families have easy access to required immunizations before the start of the 2022-23 school year.

The statewide public awareness campaign is called Start Smart. The campaign includes a map.

Photo Provided / Indiana Department of Health

The map shows the dates, times, and locations of immunization clinics. It can be found by clicking here.

Clinics are open to children ages five and older.

Families will not be charged on-site at the clinic but should provide insurance information if able to.

“Over the last two years, immunization rates for diseases like measles, mumps, and chicken pox have fallen 10 percent across Indiana, which puts children at greater risk of highly contagious, yet highly preventable, diseases,” State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG said. “While many parents already have appointments scheduled with their child’s pediatrician, we know that some may be having difficulty with access. These community clinics bring the services to areas with the greatest need to help ensure every child is protected before they walk into the classroom.”

IDOH will be mailing letters to parents of the children whose state immunization records show that they are behind on a required immunization.

“Immunizations are an essential part of keeping students healthy, and we encourage every family to take advantage of these local opportunities to get their children caught up and take one important task off their back-to-school checklist,” Dr. Box said.

A list of the required school immunizations can be found here.