The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program
Pediatrics by the Sea is a participating provider in this program! This program provides FREE vaccines to those who do not have health insurance to pay for them!
WHAT IS THE HEALTH ISSUE?
In the past, private providers referred children to public health department clinics for vaccinations when the children lacked health insurance or their health insurance did not cover vaccinations. Since 1994, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, established by Section 1928 of the Social Security Act, has allowed children to receive vaccinations as part of routine care, supporting the reintegration of vaccination and primary care.
The VFC program provides immunizations for children who are uninsured, Medicaid recipients, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives at their doctors’ offices. VFC also helps children whose insurance does not cover vaccinations when they are vaccinated at participating federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics. To ensure that providers enrolled in the VFC program adhere to the many VFC program requirements, increased automated accountability processes are needed.
Beginning in 2001, unprecedented shortages of many routinely recommended vaccines included in the VFC program have occurred in the United States. Because these shortages have placed children at an increased risk of preventable infectious diseases, an emergency reserve of vaccine is needed.
WHAT HAS CDC ACCOMPLISHED?
The VFC program is CDC’s largest public-private partnership. The VFC program provides publicly purchased vaccines for use by all participating providers. These vaccines are given to eligible children without cost to the provider or the parent. In 2004 the VFC program purchased approximately 40 percent of the total number of doses of routinely recommended pediatric vaccines distributed in the United States. In 2004, CDC awarded $977 million in VFC funds to state, local, and territorial public health agencies for program operations and vaccine purchase.
By decreasing referrals to public health departments, the VFC program has improved the continuity of care, promoted the “medical home” concept, and contributed to high vaccination coverage levels. In addition, because the VFC program ensures that all eligible children receive the benefits of newly recommended vaccines, the program ensures that access to newly recommended vaccines for children in low-income and uninsured families does not lag behind that for children in middle- and upper-income families. As a result of this increased access to recommended vaccines, community immunity levels are strengthened and children have decreased risks of serious illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?
The President’s budget proposes improvements to the VFC program that would expand access to underinsured children seeking immunization services in state and local public health clinics. Through the VFC program, CDC is also working to acquire pediatric vaccine stockpiles that provide a six-month supply of all recommended pediatric vaccines. In addition the VFC program supports The Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project (VMBIP). VMBIP is a comprehensive review and update of the public pediatric vaccine supply chain from the distribution of vaccine by the manufacturer to the point of administration (either public clinic or private provider’s office). The project is leveraging commercial best practices to address all aspects of vaccine procurement, ordering, distribution and management.