Be Wise — Immunize

More than 218,000 shots have been administered to Texas children through Be Wise — Immunize since 2004.

NEW: Funding Available for Be Wise — Immunize^SM Events

Need support for your Be Wise vaccination event and/or coalition? The Texas Medical Association now has grants of $500 to $1,500. TMA Be Wise Local-Impact Grants are available to county medical societies, physician practices, TMA Alliance chapters, medical student chapters, and TMA member-physician practices/clinics.

The grants can be used for first-time shot clinics, expanded shot clinics, or a coalition effort to immunize underserved and uninsured children, adolescents, and/or adults. If you need to plan your next vaccination event, check out the Be Wise — Immunize Quick Start Manual: A Step-by-Step Vaccination Outreach Guide. Apply for a grant today. Deadlines for the grant applications are March 1 and Oct. 1.

Be Wise — Immunize^SM is a public health initiative of the Texas Medical Association. The program combines education and hands-on immunization clinics to increase statewide vaccination rates. Be Wise offers physicians current information and best practices on childhood and adolescent immunization, and educational materials for patients to promote the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines. A panel of pediatricians, family physicians, and infectious diseases specialists oversee Be Wise, providing expert advice on program operation and content.

Watch these videos to learn more about the Be Wise program:

Vaccines Safe, Effective (YouTube video, November 2008)
Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism (YouTube video, November 2008)

Be Wise — Immunize is a joint initiative of TMA and the TMA Alliance, a volunteer organization of physicians and their spouses, and is funded through a grant from the TMA Foundation. The program began in 2004.

Thanks to H-E-B and TMF Health Quality Institute for generous gifts that provides major support for the Be Wise — Immunize program in 2011 and 2012.

Founding Partner

How Physicians Can Get Involved

For You and Your Practice: Be Wise offers tools to help you implement or enhance existing vaccination practices.

Use the Be Wise physician childhood (PDF) and adolescent (PDF) toolkits to put vaccination best practices in place in your office. The toolkits inform you and your staff how to use ImmTrac (Texas’ immunization registry), join the Texas Vaccines for Children program, and talk to parents about conscientious objection.
Take continuing medical education courses offered through Be Wise. Each year, programs about timely vaccination topics are available to physicians at TexMed, the association’s annual meeting, and other CME programs are offered continually.
Join the Be Wise Advocates Panel and help get the word out about the importance and safety of vaccinations by writing a letter to the editor, or becoming a spokesperson on vaccinations.

For Your Patients: Be Wise offers materials you can use to educate your patients about vaccines.

Use Be Wise educational materials (posters, vaccine fact sheets, and more) to educate patients about the importance of proper vaccination. Post these materials in your waiting and exam rooms. The materials are free.
Host a low-cost/free vaccination clinic after hours or on the weekend.

Get involved today. For more information, email the outreach coordinator or call (512) 370-1470.

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How TMA Alliance Members and Medical Students Can Get Involved

The TMA Alliance and medical student chapters provide grassroots support for the program, spearheading Be Wise efforts in communities across Texas. Activities include:

Organizing low-cost and free immunization clinics,
Distributing educational materials at local health fairs, and
Raising public awareness through presentations to parent-teacher associations and civic organizations.

TMA offers a step-by-step guide about how to organize, promote, and execute an event. Plus, we have free outreach materials and merchandise for your event. Get involved today.

Sign up for TMA Giving Back, a monthly e-newsletter that keeps you up to date on TMA's outreach programs. To sign up, email the outreach coordinator or call (512) 370-1470.

Get Your Legislator Involved

TMA’s outreach programs are a great way to show state legislators how physicians, medical students, and alliance members are giving back to their communities — and putting prevention into action. Invite your state legislators to your next Be Wise event so they can see firsthand how TMA works to improve the health of their community. Plus, it gives state legislators a chance to take part in the action.

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Be Wise in Action

Medical Family Collaboration

Lubbock is a shining example of the power of collaboration. For the second year, the Lubbock-Crosby-Garza County Medical Society (LCGCMS) and TMA Alliance partnered with Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) first- and second-year medical students to host a flu shot clinic.

Combine School Physicals and Immunizations

For the second year, the Travis County Medical Society (TCMS) combined immunizations and free athletic physicals for Austin Independent School District (AISD) students who are uninsured or who do not have affordable access to health care.

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Important Vaccination News

ACIP Recommends HPV Vaccination for Boys

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now recommends routine vaccination of boys aged 11 to 12 with three doses of HPV4 to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV). ACIP says vaccination will protect boys against certain HPV-related conditions and cancers and may also indirectly protect women by reducing HPV transmission.

“The greatest impact can be had when the vaccine is given at ages 11 or 12 where there is a better immune response compared with older ages. The vaccine is most effective when it is given before there is exposure to the virus that occurs through sexual contact. So that's the rationale for recommending this routinely for 11- or 12–year–olds,” Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a news media conference call explaining the recommendations.

The CDC will evaluate the ACIP recommendation and will publish its final recommendation in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Vaccinating During 2011-12 Influenza Season

Vaccination against influenza should begin as soon as physicians receive the flu vaccine in their offices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Again this year, CDC is recommending a flu shot for all individuals over 6 months of age.The virus strains in this year’s vaccine are the same as last season, but CDC stresses the need for the annual vaccination, as immunity may have decreased. Different types of flu vaccine are available this year.

TMA’s influenza webpage includes information about CDC recommendations, and tools for physicians to help promote vaccines, such as the new The Facts About Flu Vaccination handout. To order the fact sheet, contact TMA’s outreach coordinator: tammy.wishard@texmed.org, or (512) 370-1470.

TMA Encourages Flu Shots for Health Care Workers

TMA encourages health care workers to get immunized for the flu to protect their patients, themselves, and their families. Help TMA spread the message by displaying this poster in hospital employee break rooms, physicians’ offices, and other places where health care workers and staff gather. To order, contact TMA’s outreach coordinator: tammy.wishard@texmed.org, or (512) 370-1470. Find more information on TMA’s health care worker vaccination webpage.

Flu Performance Improvement Continuing Medical Education

The American Medical Association is offering continuing medical education to improve the rates of preventive-care influenza immunizations administered to patients age 50 years and older by an office-based physician during influenza season.This activity spans the influenza season, September 2011 through February 2012. This activity will conclude in mid-April, at which time all surveys must be submitted. Physicians can earn up to 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ by participating in the activity.

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Physician Toolkits

Be Wise — Immunize has tools to help physicians follow vaccination best practices and overcome barriers to vaccination. The Be Wise — Immunize Toolkit for Children and the Be Wise — Immunize Physician Toolkit for Adolescents are easy-to-use guides, complete with a physician manual and materials you can use in your practice. The toolkits were produced under the guidance of an advisory panel of prominent pediatricians and other physician specialists convened for this purpose.

The toolkits contain best practice guidelines, vaccine safety information, complete details about ImmTrac (Texas' immunization registry), information about the Texas Vaccines for Children program, and more. Check out the Be Wise patient education materials for placement in your waiting and exam rooms. All materials are in English and Spanish.

Be Wise—Immunize Physician Toolkit for Children (PDF): Updated in 2011, a comprehensive reference guide on childhood vaccinations for physicians and their staff. Plus, it offers educational materials for your office and patients.

Be Wise—Immunize Physician Toolkit for Adolescents (PDF): Updated in 2011, a comprehensive reference guide on adolescent vaccinations for physicians and their staff. Plus, it offers educational materials for your office and patients.

Patient Education Materials

The Facts About Childhood Vaccinations
The Facts About Adolescent Vaccinations
The Facts About Adult Vaccinations
The Facts About Flu Vaccination
The Facts About Pertussis
Vaccinations for Adults chart
Keep Your Child Healthy Poster
Good Health Can Last a Lifetime Adolescent Poster (English and Spanish), PDF

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Plan a Be Wise — Immunize Event or Clinic

TMA has the tools you need to plan, organize, and carry out an immunization clinic. Or, if you want to staff a booth at your community health fair, we have free educational materials to educate that vaccinations are important, safe, and effective. Plus, order our free merchandise for kids and Beatrice the Bee mascot to make your event more fun.

Be — Wise Immunize Quick Start Manual: A Step-by-Step Vaccination Outreach Guide (PDF): An easy-to-follow guide (updated in 2011) for planning your immunization activity — an education-only event, a free- or low-cost shot clinic, or an immunization coalition.
Educational Materials/Merchandise Order Form: TMA’s one-stop shop to order your Be Wise promotional and educational materials, giveaways for the kids, and to reserve our bee mascot costume.
Publicity Tools: Items to help you get the word out about your upcoming event(s).
Event Photography Tips: Use these tips to capture winning photos at your event.
Photo Release Form (English and Spanish): Taking photos at your event is important. TMA can use these in our publications or you can send them to the newspaper for follow-up coverage of your event. Use this form to get parents’ permission to photograph a child. Without this form, a photograph cannot be reprinted.
Bee Mascot (PDF): Make your event more fun for the kids with the bee mascot.

Be Wise Success (PDF): Check out where Be Wise events occurred in 2011 and see its success by the numbers. If your area isn’t represented, consider an event in 2012.

What others are saying: Read testimonials from event sponsors.

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