April 13, 2016
Four
communities across Texas will receive disease-preventing and potentially
life-saving vaccinations, thanks to Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise —ImmunizeSM program. TMA recently awarded
$7,600 in grants to physicians, medical students, and TMA Alliance (TMAA)
chapters (comprising physician volunteers and their spouses), to provide free
and low-cost vaccinations to uninsured and underinsured Texans in their
hometowns.
TMA created the
Be Wise — Immunize Local Impact Grants program in 2012 to allow TMA and TMAA
members to help ensure their communities are healthy by offering childhood,
adolescent, and adult vaccinations at special events and clinics. These members
often partner with other local organizations on the projects.
In four years,
TMA has awarded 55 grants totaling $85,000 to provide nearly 8,000 vaccinations
across the state through the Local Impact Grants program. Be Wise — Immunize
and the Local Impact Grants are funded by the TMA Foundation
(TMAF), TMA’s philanthropic arm.
“TMA Foundation
and its donors are proud to support our members’ efforts through the Be Wise —
Immunize Local Impact Grants, because many more Texans will lead healthy lives when
protected by immunizations,” said TMAF President Deborah A. Fuller, MD, of
Dallas.
In March, TMA
awarded these grants, ranging from $1,000 to $2,500:
- Smith
County Medical Society (CMS) will provide back-to-school
vaccinations to students in Whitehouse Independent School District in
conjunction with the Northeast Texas Public Health District. Students entering
kindergarten through 12th grade can receive vaccinations during school
registration.
- Smith
CMS Alliance will provide
flu shots for kids and adults at the annual Day for Kids in September. Children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs of
East Texas and their family members can receive flu shots.
- Texas
Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso Paul L. Foster
School of Medicine TMA chapter
will offer childhood and adult vaccinationsto underserved El Paso residents who attend SUNS (Students United
para Nuestra Salud) Health Fair events.
- The University of Texas School
of Medicine in San Antonio TMA Chapter will join with Family Services Association of San Antonio to give flu shots to children
and their families in the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
TMA actively works to improve
vaccination rates in Texas through its Be Wise — Immunize program. More than 300,000
shots have been given to Texas children, adolescents, and adults since the
program began in 2004. TMAF funds the Be Wise program in 2016 through generous
support from H-E-B
and TMF Health Quality Institute,
along with contributions from
physicians and their families.
TMA is the largest state
medical society in the nation, representing more than 49,000 physician and
medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county
medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to
improve the health of all Texans. The TMA Foundation raises
funds to support the public health, quality of care, and science priority
initiatives of TMA and the family of medicine.
Be
Wise — Immunize is a service mark of the Texas Medical Association.
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Contact: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org
Marcus Cooper (512) 370-1382; cell: (512)
650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org
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