¡Mejoramiento a la Salud Comunitaria para niños de Milwaukee (CHIMC)-Tome Control-INMUNICE! (Community Health Improvement for Milwaukee’s Children (CHIMC): Take Control- IMMUNIZE!)

The overall goal of this project is to increase immunization coverage for Hispanic/Latino children 4 years of age and younger, to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of 90%. We propose to enhance community capacity to address health disparities and improve parents'/caregivers’ knowledge about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Hispanic/Latinos are the fastest growing population in Milwaukee, according to U.S. Census data, representing 17% of the city’s population. At 24 months of age, only 65% of Latino children are up-to-date with the 4 DTaP:3 IPV:1 MMR:3 Hib:3 HepB:1 VZV:4 pneumo antigen series. Utilizing a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, previously tested through the Community Health Improvement for Milwaukee’s Children: Take Control IMMUNIZE (CHIMC-TCI!) project, we will incorporate a Knowledge-To-Action framework guided by CBPR principles to address immunization gaps. Culturally-relevant, web-based immunization platform will be adapted using an existing Toolkit and eLearning Café to benefit parents/caregivers and childcare providers. This multi-level approach will engage families, community members, childcare providers, and public health systems. Bilingual community members from targeted zip codes will be invited to become full partners to foster culturally-relevant, accessible immunization messages and educational material via the internet. Additionally, Milwaukee County’s WIC Program and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s Community Health Division will be vital partners to this Project. The evaluation will assess the effectiveness of community health assessments; beliefs and attitudes toward immunizations; immunization knowledge acquisition; and intentions to give age-appropriate immunizations. A dissemination plan for childcare providers serving this population will be an essential component to sustain immunization awareness.