One of the key components of all the health care delivery programs AHS administers is a keen focus on prevention, and one of the best ways to begin the practice of this behavior is to encourage families to have their children immunized according to established schedules. The Federal government recognized this as well when they enacted the Vaccines for Children Program. The Vaccines for Children Program provides free immunizations to health care providers to administer to eligible children in their practice. AHS moved into providing Vaccines for Children (VFC) services as an offshoot to our work with EPSDT and the Family Care Network (FCN) in Pennsylvania. Since we were already interfacing with a large number of family and pediatric providers, AHS was asked to incorporate the Vaccines for Children Program into our other Pennsylvania operations by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Public Welfare (DPW) late in 1995. By 1998 we had established a functional Program model in Pennsylvania. We then used that model to successfully implement and administer the New Jersey effort.

The system we have developed includes the following specific skill sets:

• Developing, expanding, and maintaining VFC provider networks;
• Implementing electronic order processing and inventory tracking;
• Ensuring that providers are supplied with vaccines;
• Developing provider newsletters;
• Creating a functional relationship with the vaccine distributor;
• Developing software to interface with VACMAN;
• Producing required reports;
• Increasing the number of adequately immunized children; and
• Promoting and maintaining VFC quality standards and vaccine accountability.