Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Community Healthcare - 31

PROTECTING THOSE
AROUND YOU

Getting immunized doesn't just help
your own health. It also helps those
around you.
"Vaccinations are very important to
protect yourself as well as to protect
your family members and vulnerable
people," Parker Fiebelkorn says.
Adults must stay up on their shots to
safeguard people who can't get them,
such as infants who are too young for
immunizations and those with compromised immune systems. The latter
group includes people with cancer and
those who have had organ transplants.
Keeping current on vaccinations as
an adult helps build what the public
health community calls herd immunity, Parker Fiebelkorn says.
"Herd immunity is when enough
people are vaccinated against a disease that it protects the broader community," she says. "When enough
people around the unvaccinated
are vaccinated, it basically provides a barrier of protection for the
whole community."

BUILDING
AWARENESS

If there are so many good reasons
to be vaccinated, why aren't more
adults doing it? Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of
Immunization Managers, says there's
a strong infrastructure for childhood
immunization but nothing similar
for adults.
Public health systems include programs to make sure children are getting vaccinated effectively-from
maintaining a database of providers
to ensuring that providers are storing

vaccines properly-but "we really don't
have those systems in place for adults,"
Hannan says.
State programs are steadily improving
by educating people and working with
providers to establish processes that
will improve adult immunization rates,
she says.
She adds, "Adults need to realize they
need to assess their own vaccinations
and get vaccinated, just like they do for
their kids." ■

Stay up on your
shots to safeguard
people who can't
get them, such as

infants.

LEFT PHOTO BY GETTY/ PETER DAZELEY; RIGHT PHOTO BY GLOW IMAGES

PROTECTING YOUR HEALTH
Vaccinations for influenza, pneumonia and
shingles are a good idea, especially for seniors,
but they may be even more important for
patients with other chronic conditions, says
Community Care Network internal medicine
practitioner Joseph DeJoan, MD, on staff at
St. Mary Medical Center, Hobart.
Patients with immune systems that are
compromised by other conditions should
consider receiving vaccinations to bolster
their defenses, he says.
"If you're being treated for an underlying malignancy, if you have renal failure,
diabetes or you have functional loss of your
spleen, the pneumonia and flu vaccines
become extremely important," DeJoan says.

"People who have an immune-compromised
condition are at higher risk."
DeJoan emphasized that vaccines prime
the immune system to fight infections, but
they do not guarantee protection against
the disease. Anyone with a history of allergic
reactions to vaccinations, as well as patients
who are pregnant, should consult with a physician before receiving a vaccine.
Whether you or a family member
needs a vaccination, a school physical or
assistance managing a chronic condition,
the Community Care Network of physicians can help. Our experienced doctors
specialize in a variety of care areas from
family practice and internal medicine to

pediatrics and cardiology. Our physicians
bring the resources of our hospitals-
Community Hospital, St. Catherine Hospital
and St. Mary Medical Center-to you and
your family to face any healthcare challenge.

WEBSITE

Find a Doctor
Get a free physician referral
at comhs.org/find-a-doctor,
or call 219-836-3477.

WINTE R 2017

http://www.comhs.org/find-a-doctor

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Community Healthcare