Supporting Community Health through Immunizations

 

Supporting Community Health through Immunizations

The CNS Immunization Program is Utah’s largest on-site flu and vaccination clinic provider and meets individuals in need where they are — from population-dense cities to rural towns — throughout the state.

By the Numbers

  • CNS hosted 7,029 mobile immunization events between 2020 and 2023.

  • The CNS Immunization Program has administered more than 2 million vaccines since the Program began in 1992.

  • The CNS Immunization Program is managed by 4 full-time staff members and 400 seasonal team members.

An important component of our program is the use of mobile clinics, which are sent to schools, businesses, community events, churches, and local health departments. We expect this need to grow in the coming year as more schools and community locations request help with vaccine initiatives.

Thanks to the generous donors who fund the CNS Charitable Immunization Program, we can say ‘yes’ to supporting important community health initiatives, to hosting more ‘no pay’ clinics throughout Utah, and to people without insurance or the ability to pay for vaccines who come into our Walk-In Clinics each day.


Helping a Student Stay In School

In March 2022, a young man came into the West Valley Immunization Clinic and asked for help getting vaccines he needed to stay in high school. He was on track to graduate just a few months later, but he couldn’t continue without the required vaccines.

One of our CNS Immunization Team members, Lois, sat down with him to review his vaccine history and determine his needs. She shared the checklist and his answers:

  • Are you 18 or younger? No, I’m 19.

  • Are you enrolled at a high school with vaccine funding [included on this list]? No.

  • Do you have any insurance? No.

  • Do you have a way to pay for the vaccines? No.

  • Do you have a parent or guardian who could help pay for the vaccines? No.

  • Do you have any siblings or extended family who could help pay for the vaccines? No.

At this point, Lois asked a bit about his personal life. She discovered he lived on his own in a rented room and worked part-time at a sporting goods store. When she asked about his parents, he told her they lived in a different country and that he is here on his own, funding his own education.

The cost of his vaccines added up to $400, which was an insurmountable cost. At this point, Lois shared information about the CNS Charitable Immunization Program with him and told him CNS could help.

Thanks to our generous donors, the young man was able to get all the vaccines he needed that day to stay in school and graduate a few months later.

“The initiative to come in on his own to get his shots and continue his education was very impressive,” Lois said. “His story really pulled at my heart. He wasn’t there to share a sad story. He was there to do what he needed in order to continue in school. There was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to finish school, and I am so glad we could help him.”