User:Alaskanamelie

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The Vaccinate Alaska Coalition is a non-profit organization established to promote the immunization of Alaskan citizens and residents, the and reduction of vaccine-preventable diseases in Alaska. It is comprised of health care individuals and organizations, and it directs a series of programs, coalitions, and activities designed to promote immunization.

Background
While the coalition is an apolitical non-profit, it is sponsored by the Immunization Program of the Section of Epidemiology of the Division of Public Health of the State of Alaska, sharing office space and personnel with the program. Full voting membership is open to the public as the coalition seeks to broaden state-wide support for immunizations.

Organization
Each individual member and each organization affiliated with the coalition has one vote, which can be exercised at quarterly general assembly meetings. The coalition is managed by a coordinator, with an executive board comprised of a president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary.

Programs
The coalition focuses on publicizing and promoting immunizations. In addition to providing literature about immunizations such as vaccination fact sheets, the coalition also offers support to physicians and nurses as well as health care organizations by providing a resource for information and concerns about vaccines. The coalition acts as a forum to encourage cooperation between all the members of the public health community in Alaska, and helps coordinate efforts to expand immunization programs throughout the geographically challenging state.

Current programs include the I Did It By 2 campaign which connects the importance of vaccines to the Iditarod dog sled race, a race which has its historical origins in the 1925 serum run to Nome, an effort to bring diptheria anti-toxin to an isolated Alaskan town. The campaign involves providing promotional supplies to health care providers and materials to parents of infants to help keep track of their child's required immunizations.

The coalition also highlights prominent members of the Alaskan health care community with the annual Excellence in Immunization Award which is given to recognize individuals or organizations who have demonstrated committment to improving the immunization status of Alaska.