Adult Pneumococcal Vaccination

Patient receiving vaccination.

Adult pneumococcal vaccination rates in Los Angeles County lag behind the national and state averages, especially in areas of historically low income and ethnic neighborhoods.

To address this issue, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) and the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations partnered on a 12-month project through the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians to increase adult pneumococcal vaccination rates in Los Angeles County. PHC was one of three partners selected to participate in the project, along with Tennessee and Oklahoma. 

Work began in the summer of 2016 with the recruitment of ten practices that represented a broad range of practice sizes and worked with primarily low-income and minority patients. PHC hosted in-person training events, held coaching calls and conducted site visits. Staff also developed patient and provider resources including office posters, and a patient fact card.

The goal was to achieve a 12 percent average growth rate in adult pneumococcal vaccination. Ultimately, the ten participating practices achieved an average growth of 19 percent.