The National AHEC (Area Health Education Center) Organization received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a project to provide education to health professionals, and health professions students, regarding the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Trainings focus on: describing the burden of HPV disease, defining the importance of HPV vaccination for cancer prevention and the rationale for vaccinating at ages 11 or 12, listing the recommendations for administering HPV vaccine for girls and for boys and providing useful and compelling information about HPV vaccine to parents to aid in making the decision to vaccinate.
As a state based AHEC, Scenic Rivers applied for and received funding to support provider education in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Because Iowa and Minnesota no longer have AHEC systems and our geographic location near La Crosse, Wisconsin, it made sense for Scenic Rivers AHEC to work across the tri-state area.
To raise HPV immunization rates through provider education, we target our outreach to various healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dentists, public health professionals, medical assistants, etc.) and students in those professions. Trainings may be done via webinars, grand rounds, in person presentations, conference/summit presentations, etc. We are always open to exploring new partnerships.
Please contact Nicole Thill, Regional HPV Educator with Scenic Rivers AHEC, at nthill@scenicriversahec.org or 608-487-3838 to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
