Legislators at the federal and state levels have enormous influence on policies and programs administered by state and local immunization program (IP) managers. By engaging with elected officials, IP managers support program efforts to rid the nation of vaccine-preventable diseases, ensure adequate resources for programs, and promote sound immunization policies.
Public health officials are often surprised to learn that many elected officials and their staff want to hear from immunization programs. Program managers and staff are the experts on immunization programs and can uniquely demonstrate the extraordinary value of the scarce public resources allocated to immunization programs.
Program managers are the best advocates for what the programs they lead need to be effective. If policymakers don’t hear from immunization programs, it’s possible they may only hear from those who are opposed to what they do.
That’s why it’s imperative for immunization program managers to engage in the policy process in an ethically responsible manner. The three chapters of this resource guide provide insight into how to do this. You can download a PDF of the whole guide, or each individual chapter.