Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health

JUNE2002

What immunizations are required by the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment Program, and why should the grant communities be concerned about this issue?

The Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program requires that immunizations be provided on a periodic basis according to the united recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The ACIP, AAP and AAFP have coordinated their efforts to recommend the immunization schedule for children and youth from birth to 21 years. The three organizations jointly review and publish the recommendations on a yearly basis regardless of whether there have been any changes to the schedule. The schedule can be found on the AAP web sites:

http://www.aap.org/family/parents/immunize.htm
http://www.aap.org/family/parents/im02.pdf.
For additional information about vaccines visit the National Immunization Program Web site at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip or Call the National Immunization Hotline at: (800) 232-2522 (English) or (800) 232-0233 (Spanish).

The schedule is based on the most recent evidence and research in the field. Immunizations are one of the most effective means of prevention and are life saving. In addition to being concerned about a child or adolescent's mental health, we must be concerned about easily preventable diseases such as Polio and Hepatitis B. Both of these diseases can be life threatening and are completely preventable with appropriate immunizations. Further, schools and day care centers require them as a condition of entrance. Most school systems will not allow children and adolescents to be admitted without their immunizations and will exclude them from school until the children are adequately immunized. Exclusion from school can be a traumatic event in children's lives and can contribute to their falling behind in their classes.

The most common and best place to have your child or adolescent immunized is by the primary care provider. In addition to the immunizations, the primary care provider should also use this time to give your child a complete health history, physical examination, and necessary laboratory tests, as required under the EPSDT regulation. When you have your child or adolescent immunized, please keep a record of his/her immunizations. These records will be of assistance when schools or day care centers request the information as an entrance requirement. It is also a good idea to bring the immunization information with you every time your child or adolescent visits his or her primary care provider so that these records can be updated if another immunization is given during that visit.

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	JUNE2002 What immunizations are required by the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment Program, and why should the grant communities be concerned about this issue? The Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program requires that immunizations be provided on a periodic basis according to the united recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The ACIP, AAP and AAFP have coordinated their efforts to recommend the immunization schedule for children and youth from birth to 21 years. The three organizations jointly review and publish the recommendations on a yearly basis regardless of whether there have been any changes to the schedule. The schedule can be found on the AAP web sites: http://www.aap.org/family/parents/immunize.htm http://www.aap.org/family/parents/im02.pdf. For additional information about vaccines visit the National Immunization Program Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/nip or Call the National Immunization Hotline at: (800) 232-2522 (English) or (800) 232-0233 (Spanish). The schedule is based on the most recent evidence and research in the field. Immunizations are one of the most effective means of prevention and are life saving. In addition to being concerned about a child or adolescent's mental health, we must be concerned about easily preventable diseases such as Polio and Hepatitis B. Both of these diseases can be life threatening and are completely preventable with appropriate immunizations. Further, schools and day care centers require them as a condition of entrance. Most school systems will not allow children and adolescents to be admitted without their immunizations and will exclude them from school until the children are adequately immunized. Exclusion from school can be a traumatic event in children's lives and can contribute to their falling behind in their classes. The most common and best place to have your child or adolescent immunized is by the primary care provider. In addition to the immunizations, the primary care provider should also use this time to give your child a complete health history, physical examination, and necessary laboratory tests, as required under the EPSDT regulation. When you have your child or adolescent immunized, please keep a record of his/her immunizations. These records will be of assistance when schools or day care centers request the information as an entrance requirement. It is also a good idea to bring the immunization information with you every time your child or adolescent visits his or her primary care provider so that these records can be updated if another immunization is given during that visit.

Primary Care and Systems of Care Frequently Asked Questions

Primary Care and Systems of Care
Frequently Asked Questions