Outcome Health, a technology company that provides health education at the moment of care, today announced a collaboration with Unity Consortium, a broad base of leading organizations focused on adolescent and young adult preventive healthcare and immunization, and Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Through this partnership, the organizations will support Unity’s “Vax@16” initiative to increase awareness of the importance of wellness visits and immunizations for 16-year-olds. Educational content for both English- and Spanish-speaking audiences will play in physician offices across Outcome Health’s nationwide digital platform.
According to Unity, older adolescents have a lower rate of preventive health visits than younger children, and immunization rates for 16-18-year-olds lag well behind national goals.
“Our goal is to close the gaps in immunization rates and have 9 in 10 teens and young adults fully vaccinated,” said Judy Klein, President of Unity Consortium. “This next phase of partnership with Outcome Health allows us to spread our message to parents, teens and young adults across the country – and by working directly with Univision Communications Inc, we can communicate this important message to at-risk Hispanic populations.”
In a recent Harris Poll conducted by Unity, more than one-third of teens (34%) said they didn’t know how being vaccinated helps them and four in 10 parents (41%) believe their teen should only see a doctor when he or she feels sick.
“Unfortunately, many teens and parents of teens are unaware of the need for vaccines during adolescence,” said Matt McNally, Chief Executive Officer at Outcome Health. “Our partnership on Vax@16 will amplify Unity’s message across our digital platform so that teens, parents, and providers become aware of the latest vaccination recommendations and are armed with the best information to help them make more confident decisions about their health.”
The educational content includes videos, digital posters, and infographics promoting the importance of immunizations and which ones specifically 16-year-olds need. The Vax@16 campaign will launch in time for the back-to-school physical season. In addition to catching up on missing or late vaccines, the CDC recommends two meningococcal vaccines (MenACWY and MenB) and flu (seasonally).
“As part of our company’s mission to inform and empower the communities we serve, UCI gladly partners with Outcome Health and Unity Consortium to drive awareness on Vax@16 and help educate families through our media platforms,” said Dennis O’Leary, Vice President, Business Development, UCI.
Hispanics represent about 25% of US teenagers and can benefit from the multiple available vaccines if they better adhere to the CDC recommended immunization schedules. (1)
Outcome Health will deliver this campaign to all primary care, pediatric, OB-GYN and adolescent health specialist providers across its nationwide network. The Vax@16 posters and videos are also available to download from the Unity website.
