Michigan Parents Urged to Ensure Children are Up-to-date on Vaccinations Before Starting School > Michigan State Medical Society
Home/About MSMS/News & Media/News/Immunization

News

Michigan Parents Urged to Ensure Children are Up-to-date on Vaccinations Before Starting School

Posted on August 21, 2016 11:04

As the school year approaches, health care providers remind parents to fully vaccinate

As Michigan families prepare for the upcoming school year, physicians and nurses across Michigan today reminded parents to get their children up-to-date on their vaccinations before the first day of class.

"When children are vaccinated, they are protected from preventable diseases," said David M. Krhovsky, MD, president of the Michigan State Medical Society. "Checking in with a child's pediatrician should be on every parent's radar as they prepare to send them back to school. Vaccinations don't just keep immunized children safe -- they help protect children who cannot safely be vaccinated from deadly diseases as well."

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recently released final immunization waiver rate numbers for the previous school year, revealing that waiver rates in Michigan dropped by over 35 percent in the last year. Some counties saw even higher rates, with a 55 percent decrease in Clinton County and 53 percent decrease in Wayne County. Health officials hope to see the trend continue in 2016. Statewide:

  • The kindergarten waiver rate saw a 32.1 percent drop - from 5.3 to 3.6 percent;
  • The 7th grade waiver rates dropped by 35.5 percent, from 4.8 to 3.1 percent.

"Parents don't let their children leave the house for the first day of school without their backpacks and school supplies, and they shouldn't send them to class without their immunizations, either," said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. "Michigan's plummeting waiver rate is fantastic news for everyone in the state. Thanks to parents across Michigan, a higher percentage of students are better protected than they were in the prior school year."

"Communities in Michigan are much safer when everyone is up-to-date on their vaccines," said Jon Gold, MD, FAAP of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Michigan Chapter. "When parents ensure that their children are fully vaccinated, they are not only protecting their own families from preventable diseases, but other families as well."

PIN is made up of Michigan's leading health care providers, including the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Osteopathic Association, Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Michigan Association of Local Public Health, the Michigan Association of School Nurses, the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health, the School Community Health Alliance of Michigan and the Michigan Association of Health Plans. PIN works together to better educate parents about the importance of childhood immunizations.

     

Posted in: Public Health Issues, Immunization, Hot Topics
25 Latest Articles Current Articles | Archives | Search

Connect

Website by Gravity Works
Copyright © Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS)

AMA
As part of CCB, and having become known in the HOD as a trusted and respected parliamentarian and advisor, he has been actively sought out by sections and delegations for his expertise and counsel, to ensure their concerns are met and can be adopted by the House. His commitment to open, fair and unbiased discussion and debate empowers colleagues wherever he leads, including in our House of Delegates.

ACEP
In addition to his commitments to MSMS, the AMA and CCB, Pino participates in the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Section Council. This allows him to stay informed about the latest issues facing their specialty and the broader medical landscape across the country. The council comprises representatives from all over the US, who bring unique perspectives and experiences to the table, and gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing emergency medicine in different regions, and work collaboratively to develop solutions and best practices. This also allows him to build relationships across the country, which are key to getting the House to “yes.”

MSMS
Dr. Colone has been an active member of the AMA since his first year of medical school. He served as Chair of the Medical Student Section, Resident and Fellows Section, and the Young Physician Section of the Michigan State Medical Society, as well as representing each of those sections as delegate from MSMS to the AMA. He has served on the Michigan Delegation to the AMA for almost 30 years, and on the MSMS Board of Directors for 11 years during that time. He is also a recipient of the AMA Foundation Leadership Award.

In addition to influencing the national debate, Dr. Colone served as president of his county and state medical societies during times of crisis. He led his county medical society during the Flint water crisis and MSMS during the COVID pandemic from 2021-2022, standing up to outside efforts by lay persons and legislators and standing by science for the safety and betterment of the public. During his presidency he led a coalition of 50 patient and health care organizations to achieve comprehensive prior authorization reform removing barriers and improving the health of all Michiganders.

President of MSMS: Pino took the helm of MSMS as President during a tumultuous time. The COVID pandemic was entering its second year. Effective and, more importantly, ineffective treatments, were becoming better known, better understood, as physicians were learning every day how to best save lives. He stood by science and resisted pressures and endorsed science based treatments based on what we’d learned, over unproven, and even dangerous, treatments.

Health Can’t Wait Initiative: Pino advanced the Health Can’t Wait Initiative as President of MSMS, a coalition of over 50 health-focused groups that saw the successful passage of comprehensive prior authorization reform into law.

Read more about the coalition here

Organizations involved in the coalition 

PA Reform Signed into Law

“Today is a wonderful day for Michigan patients who can now rest easy knowing insurance company prior authorization practices will no longer prove to be an impassable roadblock between them and the timely care and treatment they too often desperately need," said MSMS President Pino Colone, MD. “Speaking on behalf of providers, patient advocacy groups and patients across the state, I want to thank Governor Whitmer and Michigan’s lawmakers for recognizing the need for reform in this area and then working to craft and enact legislation that delivers. In signing SB 247, Governor Whitmer has ushered in a new era where transparency, clinical validity and fairness to patients will all be factored into the prior authorization process, protecting Michigan patients from costly and dangerous delays in access to health care. Officially signing this bill into law is a tremendous—and much needed—win for countless Michigan patients and the providers who serve them.”

Scope of Practice: He has testified on scope of practice helping legislators understand that nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) do not have the training or education to safely care for our families, and that medical school matters. (include the graphic from the article) and link the article: https://www.mha.org/newsroom/tag/pino-colone/

Pino spent six years as chair of the MSMS Task Force on Opioid Stewardship, advocating for naloxone to be available to residents of Michigan without a prescription, collaborating with colleagues and state officials, and disseminating timely and accurate information to MSMS members. In this role, he was pivotal in shaping MSMS’s strategic plan to reduce opioid-related overdose, eliminate stigma, and support harm reduction efforts by fighting to make naloxone available over the counter.

He was also a member of the MSMS Executive Task Force on Health Care Disparities. 

Genesee County Medical Society
Pino was also president of the GCMS during the water crisis of its largest city, Flint. He led efforts by the Society to disseminate accurate information about lead in drinking water and its effects on health. With the city and state in the national spotlight, Pino stood firm against pressure from government officials to endorse what would later prove to be flawed information, putting the expertise of his physician colleagues and the safety of local residents first.
Read more about Pino’s service as county medical society president below: 

§  November 2020 GCMS Bulletin 

§  December 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  January 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  February 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  March 2020 GCMS Bulletin 

§  April 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  May 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  June 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  July 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  August 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  September 2020 GCMS Bulletin

§  October 2020 GCMS Bulletin

Op-Eds

§  Twindemic – 2021-2022

§  COVID-19 vaccination