The Birthday Card Initiative is targeted to children who are turning 11-years old, providing families the time to have adolescents fully immunized by age 13. The families who receive the birthday card are very appreciative. We've received notes from children and parents alike, thanking us for the reminders.
Statistics indicate that the initiative works too.
From 1998 to 1999, significant increases were recorded for a variety of immunizations. Using nationally-standardized quality measures to calculate results, the percent of children immunized for chicken pox by age 13 increased from 30 percent in 1998 to 44 percent in 1999. For Hepatitis B, immunizations increased from 42 percent in 1998 to 56 percent in 1999 and for measles, mumps and rubella, immunizations increased from 69 percent in 1998 to 78 percent in 1999. A Hepatitis B vaccination, for example, could decrease the risk of a serious condition that may require a liver transplant. Highmark's outreach efforts to encourage immunizations in adolescents are not limited to the Birthday Card Initiative either.