Advocate for Vaccines: Become a Shot@Life Champion
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine® offers further evidence into the safety of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Becoming a Shot@Life Champion can help increase access to such life-saving vaccines around the world.
As the conversation about vaccination continues in the U.S. and worldwide, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has again shown no connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.
This study of 657,461 Danish children is one of the largest research projects ever conducted examining the MMR vaccine. The researchers note, “The study strongly supports that MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination. It adds to previous studies through significant additional statistical power and by addressing hypotheses of susceptible subgroups and clustering of cases.”
On the front lines of health care, nurse practitioners (NPs) can improve vaccination rates by developing a trusting relationship with parents and being armed with information based on sound clinical evidence. AANP offers a number of patient education tools, continuing education (CE) courses, members-only practice briefs and other resources to help keep clinicians informed — and help them inform patients of the life-saving potential of vaccinations.
Shot@Life Champions Campaign
With a focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and health education and counseling, NPs guide patients in making smarter health and lifestyle choices — and can advocate for global health and the quest to fund global vaccines. As a Shot@Life Partner, AANP encourages all health care providers to learn more about how to increase vaccine awareness and disseminate information about how deadly vaccine-preventable diseases can be.
Shot@Life is a grassroots advocacy campaign of the United Nations Foundation that champions global childhood immunization via public education, grassroots advocacy and fundraising. As a Shot@Life Champion, those interested in supporting vaccinations around the globe gain valuable training, education and relationships with other vaccination advocates.
Champions are invited to attend the Shot@Life Champion Summit each winter in Washington D.C., where they gain in-depth information on current health news, sharpen their advocacy skills and meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
Are you interested in learning more about being a Shot@Life Champion? Hear from AANP members on their experiences:
- Becky Elder, CRNP, Idaho Shot@Life Champion Leader.
- Kathy J. Wheeler, PhD, RN, APRN, NP-C, FNAP, FAANP.
- Deborah Gray, DNP, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FAANP, Shot@Life Champion Leader.
Join Shot@Life in the Fight to Decrease Vaccine-preventable Deaths
In a little under an hour, you can become a Shot@life Champion by:
- Registering for one of the monthly training sessions or webinars.
- Sharing information and contacting your legislators.
- Donating to support Shot@Life’s global immunization outreach.