World Meningitis Day: From Tragedy Springs a Legacy of Hope

The word ‘meningitis’ can strike fear in the hearts of parents, and for good reason.  This week, TIP is observing World Meningitis Day, to draw attention to this devastating disease.

Bacterial Meningitis is the swelling of the membranes, called meninges, which surround the brain and spinal cord. It’s symptoms of headaches, stiff neck and fever can appear quickly or over several days after exposure, with serious and sometimes fatal results. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light and altered mental state. Spread through the respiratory tract, those living in close quarters are most susceptible to meningitis. The disease can quickly spread through college dorms, army bases and boarding schools.

The good news is that most forms of bacterial meningitis are vaccine-preventable, but many families are unaware of the need to protect against this disease through immunization.  Unfortunately, several Texas families have learned the hard way that the disease can cause devastation in the blink of an eye.

On February 11, 2011, Greg William’s life changed forever. That’s the day his 20-year-old son Nicolis, a junior at Texas A&M, died of complications from bacterial meningitis 72 hours after being diagnosed with flu-like symptoms at a campus clinic.

Losing our son was without a doubt the worst experience of our lives,” said Greg. “And, to discover later that his death could have been prevented intensifies the pain and guilt we hold in our hearts.”

Due, in part, to Greg’s efforts, Texas colleges now take an active role against the disease. The Jamie Schanbaum Act, named for a University of Texas student who lost her legs and fingers to the disease, was amended in 2011 and became the Jamie Schanbaum and Nicolis Williams Act. The law, which went into effect in 2012, requires that all students under the age of 30 who enroll in any Texas college show evidence that they have received the meningitis vaccine within the 5 years prior to enrollment. The law was a labor of love for both families and TIP was honored to assist.

“With TIP’s considerable help, we’re very proud to have been able to modify the law,” said Greg. “This is a huge and significant accomplishment for future generations of college students in Texas.”

Greg takes comfort in the fact that through the law, other families may be spared the pain of losing a loved one to meningitis.

Because the law is named in association with Nicolis Williams, our son has a legacy and the grief in our hearts is lightened,” said Greg.  “We thank God for blessing us with Nicolis and we thank TIP for keeping his memory alive. Because of your efforts, no other college student in Texas will die or be disfigured from meningitis.”

To learn more about the Jamie Schanbaum and Nicolis Williams Act please visit our website.

Join us on April 24 as we observe World Meningitis Day. We invite you to visit our Facebook page and post comments from your experience with meningitis and why you chose to get your family vaccinated.

Thank You for a Successful Community Immunity Spring Luncheon!

Thank you for making our third annual Community Immunity Spring Luncheon a huge success! TIP supporters packed the ballroom at the Junior League of Houston last Thursday making this the largest luncheon yet and raising more than $150,000.

We couldn’t have done it without the help of our supporters and volunteers who went the extra mile to ensure the success of our event. Special thanks go to Kim and Scott David for chairing this year’s luncheon and for helping us exceed our fundraising goal.

Judge Ed and Gwen Emmett present the John R. Boettiger Day of Community Partnership proclamation to Michelle Boettiger.

This year came with a few changes as the Community Partnership Award was formally renamed the John R. Boettiger, Jr. Award for Community Partnership. In a proclamation from Harris County, read by Judge Ed Emmett, April 12^th was also officially named the John R. Boettiger Day of Community Partnership. Both were in honor of the late John R. Boettiger, Jr., who served as a TIP board member and an outstanding volunteer.

Another invaluable TIP supporter, Houston Community College’s Coleman College for Health Sciences, received the first ever John R. Boettiger, Jr. Award for Community Partnership for their dedication in supplying bright and energetic students for our Immunization Champions program.

Celene Meyer of SLEHC presents TIP President and CEO Anna Dragsbaek with a grant to go towards TIP's Immunization Champions program.

Our Immunization Champions program received further support through a generous $50,000 grant from St.Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, presented at Thursday’s luncheon.  We would like to thank SLEHC for their long-time support of the Immunization Champions program and we look forward to many more years of outstanding partnership.

The Ralph D. Feigin, M.D. Award for Excellence, presented by Susan Feigin Harris, went to Dr. Peter J. Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, an organization that works in partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital for Vaccine Development and the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Peter J. Hotez presents on the "neglected" tropical vaccine-preventable diseases found in underprivileged parts of the world.

Dr. Hotez’s presentation gave us valuable insight into vaccine-preventable diseases that ravage the world’s poorest populations and the work that is being done to stop them.

We are truly grateful for the outpouring of support we received at the luncheon. To date, ninety people have answered the call from our board President, Dr. Lindy McGee and have become members of our Big Shot society. You can still make a gift and support TIP by visiting our website.

We had a wonderful time and hope to see everyone in September for our Fall Fête, an exclusive event with Seth Mnookin, author of The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science and Fear.

There are a number of ways to get involved with TIP. Please visit our website for more information and we’ll see you at next year’s luncheon!

A Closer Look at Immunization Champions

Houston’s immunization rates are the highest level in years, thanks to the combined efforts of doctors, nurses and projects like Immunization Champions, a flagship program of The Immunization Partnership.

TIP's Maureen Moore gives an Immunization Champions orientation at Hope Clinic.

Since 2008, this program has helped many clinics raise their childhood, adolescent and adult immunization rates through an innovative, evidence-based recall system, providing outreach to individuals who are overdue for important vaccines.  The project often has a dramatic effect on a clinic’s immunization rates, raising them by 50 percentage points or more.  Thousands of people are now better protected against dangerous diseases, making our community a healthier place to work and live.

Student interns are a special part of the Immunization Champions program. Houston Community College’s Coleman College for Health Sciences provides their best and brightest students, who are then placed in clinics and mentored by The Immunization Partnership staff, which includes advanced immunization training.  The students learn how to implement the recall system and a permanent clinic staff member is cross-trained to ensure that the project continues after the conclusion of the internship.   Along the way, clinics and students learn more about immunization best practices through an ongoing relationship with The Immunization Partnership.

The program is called Immunization Champions because of the passion and dedication that is fostered in both the student interns and the clinic staff.    In addition to improving immunization rates in the short-term, the project encourages long-term systemic change which ensures that future generations of children will be protected against vaccine-preventable-diseases for many years to come.

Patricia Branham, an HCC graduate in Health Information Technology, was an enthusiastic participant in the Immunization Champions project and reflected on why she felt it was so important.

“I felt that it was my responsibility to be as educated as I could about immunizations and to do my best to get all of the children at my clinic up to date on their vaccinations,” said Patricia. “I developed special relationships with the children and taught the parents how important it was that they were all vaccinated.”

Supported generously by St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities and other local foundations, the project is now in its fourth year and has a bright future.   With the changing landscape of health care reform and an increasing focus on prevention, the Immunization Champions program is poised to make an enormous impact by helping clinics improve their immunization rates for children, adolescents and adults.

TIP salutes Coleman College, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, the Immunization Champions clinics and all the student interns who have joined forces to protect our community from vaccine-preventable diseases.   Join us on April 12^th as we honor Coleman College for its contributions to this important project at our Community Immunity Luncheon.

Do you know of a clinic that would be a good candidate for the Immunization Champions Project?  Please visit our website to learn more and to apply!

The Community Immunity Spring Luncheon Awards: A Closer Look

The Community Immunity Spring Luncheon is TIP’s largest fundraising event and occurs every year in April.  This year it will be held on April 12^th at 11:30 a.m. at the Junior League of Houston. While this event is a time for stakeholders and friends to support The Immunization Partnership, it is also a time for us to honor the people and organizations that have made significant strides in immunization advocacy and education.

Each year TIP presents two awards at the luncheon.  The Ralph D. Feigin M.D. Award for Excellence and the John R. Boettiger Jr. Award for Community Partnership. Both are named for individuals whose legacy mirrors the purpose of the award.

The Ralph D. Feigin M.D. Award for Excellence is presented to an individual who has committed his or her time and efforts towards immunization advocacy and education. It is named for the late Dr. Ralph Feigin of Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Feigin worked as the hospital’s Physician-in-Chief and as the President of Baylor College of Medicine.  Dr. Feigin’s specialty was infectious diseases and he worked tirelessly to promote and advocate for the vaccines that he knew could save lives.

Ralph D. Feigin M.D. Award for Excellence Recipient Dr. Peter J. Hotez

This year’s honoree is also a leader in the immunization world. Dr. Peter J. Hotez serves as President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, an organization that works in partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. The Sabin Vaccine Institute’s mission to “reduce needless human suffering from vaccine preventable and neglected tropical diseases through innovative vaccine research and development” is closely related to the work of the late Dr. Feigin. It is for that reason that The Immunization Partnership believes that Dr. Hotez truly exemplifies Dr. Feigin’s spirit and dedication to promoting vaccinations.

New this year, the Community Partnership Award has been officially renamed the John R. Boettiger Jr.  Award for Community Partnership. It is given to an organization that works directly with the community to increase immunization rates. The award has been renamed in memory of John Boettiger Jr. ASA, CFA, CMC a former member of TIP’s Board of Directors who, through his work with TIP and other organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, embodied the spirit of community partnership.

TIP President and CEO, Anna Dragsbaek, worked closely with John as he served in several leadership positions within the organization.

“John was an outstanding board member, holding many different positions on both TIP’s board and advisory council,” said Dragsbaek.  “He had a special talent for connecting people and resources to community organizations and played a pivotal role in creating the strong board of directors that supports the work of TIP today.”

John’s dedication to his community represents the type of service that TIP is looking to acknowledge with the award.

“Our organization would not be the same today if he had not shared his time and talents with TIP,” said Dragsbaek.  “He truly embodies the spirit of community that TIP wants to honor in the Community Partnership Award.”

The Boettiger Award for Community Partnership recipient.

This year’s recipient is Houston Community College’s Coleman College. They have been an instrumental partner in TIP’s Immunization Champions project by supplying eager students willing to venture into doctor’s offices for the chance raise their immunization rates, instill vaccination best practices and to make a difference in the healthcare community.

The Community Immunity Luncheon will be a momentous occasion as we honor those who have worked side by side with us in our efforts to increase vaccination rates and ultimately to create a safer and healthier community.

Register now for our Community Immunity Spring Luncheon.

Should you wish to support the luncheon, sponsorship opportunities are still available.