File this one under “give credit where credit is due.” The folks at New Hampshire’s Department of Health & Human Services did something good this week. And to those of you who voiced your concerns to DHHS about school-based vaccine clinics: congratulations; those concerns were heard.
Two weeks ago, GraniteGrok broke a story about a 6-year-old child who was vaccinated at a school-based clinic in Brattleboro, Vermont without parental consent, in a purported case of mistaken identity. Aside from the obvious questions about who is going to get fired over this incident and how much the family might sue for, this raises another question: “How can we prevent something like this from happening here in New Hampshire?”
As a State Rep who sits on the Health & Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee, I don’t always see eye to eye with the folks at New Hampshire DHHS. I don’t see a need to vaccinate a population that are statistically more likely to die of the flu or pneumonia than they are of COVID. Understanding that the risks of vaccinating children are not yet known, I’d strongly prefer that we refrain from vaccinating children at all.
But we are. So let’s make sure we’re being as diligent as possible about informed consent. Let’s make sure that what happened in Brattleboro doesn’t happen here.
Last week I reached out to DHHS and asked them what they’re doing to ensure there are no cases of “mistaken identity” at school-based vaccination clinics. They shared their guidance documents with me, – and frankly, I wasn’t convinced that the state had put the necessary measures in place. Six-year-olds don’t carry photo ID, and they’re not always assertive about challenging an adult who tells them to go stand in line to get an injection.
But Tuesday we heard some good news from Dr. Jonathan Ballard, Chief Medical officer at NH DHHS. They’ve revised the guidance for school-based vaccination clinics, with the following changes:
- DHHS now recommends that clinics be held after school instead of during school hours and that a parent be present with their children when they’re vaccinated. This is already having an impact: the Milford School District just opted to hold its upcoming vaccination clinic after school and to require that a parent be present. According to Dr. Ballard, those changes happened as a result of this revised guidance.
- The process for confirming a child’s identity is now prescribed explicitly. If a parent cannot be present, the child will be asked to provide their full name and date of birth, instead of simply confirming that information with “yes/no” responses. That provides an additional measure of assurance in place that there will not be a case of mistaken identity.
The wheels of change often move slowly, especially when it comes to government. In this case, the folks at DHHS moved pretty quickly and decisively. I’d like to publicly thank Dr. Ballard and the rest of the team at DHHS who made this happen. And to those of you who called and e-mailed DHHS last week… your voices were heard. Thanks for helping make this happen.
The wheels of change often move slowly, especially when it comes to government. In this case, the folks at DHHS moved pretty quickly and decisively. I’d like to publicly thank Dr. Ballard and the rest of the team at DHHS who made this happen. And to those of you who called and e-mailed DHHS last week… your voices were heard. Thanks for helping make this happen.
