Wisconsin Families Need To Contact Their Family Physicians to Immunize Their Children Beginning October 1st
With the recent outbreak of Whooping Cough and Flu season coming back around, this is important news for parents living in Wisconsin. My family lives in Minnesota and we have a schedule for every shot.
According to Wisconsin officials a change in federal policy requires state-supplied vaccines to be targeted to children not covered by insurance. Due to the state’s widespread pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak, state-supplied pertussis vaccines will still be provided to any child visiting a local health department, regardless of whether they have insurance coverage, and state-supplied seasonal influenza vaccine will also be available to all children during the 2012-2013 flu season.
From the Public immunization website As part of the Public Immunization Record Access feature, parents and legal guardians can now have access to look up their child's immunization record in the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR). Many children in Wisconsin receive immunizations from more than one provider. Without access to a child's immunization information, it can be difficult to know which vaccine a child needs at any particular time.
Also, children eligible for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides publicly-purchased vaccines to children enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid and BadgerCare, and Native Americans and Alaskans aged 18 and younger, can continue to receive immunizations from participating public and private healthcare providers.
You can now access the registry to check for immunization information. In the Public Immunization Record Access section you will find a blue "Public Immunization Record Access" hyperlink. When you click on the hyperlink a screen will appear that will require you to enter a first name, last name, birth date and either a Social Security or Medicaid number. If your immunization provider is using the registry and has entered your child's Social Security number or Medicaid ID, you will be able to access their record.
If you are unsure if your insurance covers vaccinations, contact your insurance company for all of your questions.
If you are in search of which vaccinations your child needs, you can visit the Wisconsin Immunization Registry by clicking here