Tracy Russell Executive Director Mother and Child Health Coalition
Fall ushers in one of the busiest times of the year for Nurture KC’s Mid America Immunization Coalition (MAIC). We are hosting free flu/COVID vaccine clinics with partners across the metro through a long time partnership with Walgreens to provide unfettered access to vaccination. In addition, MAIC is hosting our annual Immunization Symposium: Vaccination in the Time of COVID-19. This is a day-long, virtual educational event taking place on Thursday, October 14. In addition to nationally respected key note speakers Dr. Greg Poland and Dr. Kevin Ault, there will be several panel sessions.
 
Our first panel is The Politics of Vaccination, featuring Dr. John Eplee, a physician and Kansas legislator and Tim Carpenter, a journalist with the Kansas Reflector. As vaccination policy becomes more politicized in state houses and on social media, these panelists will provide key insights into this phenomenon and where we go from here.

The second panel is Building Confidence in Underserved Communities. Panel participants include Justin Gust of El Centro and Melissa Robinson, Kansas City Council Person and President of the Black Health Care Coalition. These community leaders will address the history and current barriers to vaccination in minority communities of the city.

Attendees will get a state perspective on vaccination trends during the session Getting Back on Schedule: Keeping Up with Routine Immunizations. Presenters from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will speak to the data on compliance and best practices to get back on track with vaccination schedules.

Finally, anthropologist Dr. Lisa Sattenspiel will compare human behavior during the 1918 flu pandemic to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, providing the perspective that we need for a deeper understanding of the disparate reactions to the current pandemic.

Register for the Immunization Symposium. This is an opportunity you do not want to miss!

Tracy Russell
Executive Director, Nurture KC
Receive continuing education credits through the Immunization Symposium

Share this news with your networks! The 2021 Immunization Symposium on October 14 has been approved for the following contact hours:
  • Nurses and nurse practitioners = 6.3 hours
  • Social workers and community health workers = 5.25 hours

Through this symposium, attendees should achieve the following goals:
  • Understand the need for research in vaccination
  • Understand the term “vaccinomics”
  • Analyze the importance of health equity in vaccination and understand historical fears from communities of color
  • Learn the history of the anti-vaccination movement and its impact on vaccine confidence
  • Take actionable steps to improve routine vaccination rates in children, adolescents and adults in clinical and non-clinical settings
  • Be well-versed in the vaccine approval process from the ACIP
  • Be able to critically analyze human behavior and its relationship to infectious disease
  • Take action to promote vaccinations in their own communities

CLICK HERE to register and learn more information, such as the event overview, detailed agenda, speaker bios and more.
FREE flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics

Nurture KC has added a clinic since our last newsletter. Below is our final flu and COVID-19 vaccine schedule for this Fall. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit our immunization web page.
*Note: Walk-ins are also accepted at all locations.
THANK YOU to Will Shields, hall-of-famer and former star of the Chiefs, for signing autographs for everyone who got their flu and COVID-19 vaccines at our clinic held at the Salvation Army of Olathe. We appreciate our partners El Centro, Walgreens and Aetna for this event.
Documentary spurs discussion

On September 29, Nurture KC hosted a virtual screening of the documentary Belly of the Beast by Erika Cohn. It examines illegal sterilization practices in prison, along with poor healthcare, sexual abuse and assault, and targeting women of color. Kelli Dillon is one of the film’s subjects who experienced an unlawful sterilization while incarcerated and went on to advocate for others upon her release.

Nurture KC hosted this screening where 40 people watched the film and 20 participated in a group discussion afterward, which was moderated by Journey to New Life.

“Nurture KC advocates for the well-being of all women,” says Shannon Williams, Healthy Start Program Director. “Learning of the atrocities perpetrated against women incarcerated within the California Department of Corrections led us to inquire about how 'justice involved' women in Missouri are treated. This includes women who are in prison, on probation, diversion or parole. Viewing Belly of the Beast and having an open discussion with staff from Journey to New Life allowed attendees to gain insider knowledge on urgent health issues, as well as learn how we can better serve women and help them rebuild their lives.” 

A few key take-aways from the film discussion include:
  • Women of color, especially Black women, are not seen as victims
  • Tougher laws on crime (i.e. substance use) have caused an increase in female incarceration
  • Many incarcerated women are victims of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and sex trafficking
  • Urgent needed improvements for incarcerated women:
1) Access to healthcare and mental health services
2) Education (self-advocacy, nutrition and parental expectations)
3) Rehabilitation services to prepare for reentry
4) Trauma-informed care training for Department Of Corrections staff
Spotlight: Our Community Health Workers

A special shout-out to all our Community Health Workers (CHWs) who go the extra mile for families in our Healthy Start program. Here are a few of our CHWs distributing free diapers to families this month. This service makes a tangible difference for our moms and dads! Thank you to our partner Happy Bottoms for supplying the diapers.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

WELCOME to new members Christina Wahl and Heather Braum.
THANK YOU to Donna O'Malley for renewing her memberships.

THANK YOU to these organizations for renewing memberships:
St. Luke's Health System -- Benefactor Membership Level
Platte County Health Department -- Benefactor Membership Level
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center -- Donor Membership Level
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Join or renew your membership today.
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Donations in any amount will help us continue our work of improving the lives of KC metro area families. For detailed information about our programs, CLICK HERE.
NURTURE KC
1111 W. 39th Street, Ste 100
Kansas City, MO 64111