Super Shot is a local non-profit that provides childhood vaccines to families who meet certain federal guidelines.
The organization runs 30 clinics every month at various sites to provide easy access and family-friendly hours. Super Shot also works with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health so agencies don’t duplicate efforts, said Kelly Zachrich, executive director of Super Shot.
The idea is to alleviate the demand for shots from the health department so the department can focus on other public health needs, Zachrich said.
Because the non-profit receives its vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children program, the organization is limited in whom it can serve. Anyone with Medicaid, Alaskans, American Indians, underinsured and the uninsured are all eligible, she said.
The organization was formed in 1992 to combat the low immunization rate in and around Fort Wayne, according to Super Shot. Super Shot aims to break down barriers of access and cost to increase child immunization rates, according to the agency.
Last year alone, the organization provided 40,980 immunizations in 16,626 child visits. Its vaccination rate is second in the state, falling just behind Marion County, Zachrich said.
Super Shot does provide some vaccinations for teens. Many adolescent vaccines, such as the new shot for HPV, are expensive and local physician offices won’t carry them. Those patients can also take advantage of Super Shot, Zachrich said.
The organization has worked with local school nurses to keep graduating high school students up to date on all of their vaccinations. In 1999, the state mandated that all children be immunized against hepatitis B, but some children were skipped.
The program “Vaccinate Before You Graduate” was born to catch the rest of those students. The three-year initiative will end this summer, she said.
Super Shot also sees a large number of refugees in their clinics.
“We have so many that come into the clinic, we can’t actually handle them during that three-hour period,” she said. Parents get frustrated and leave.
To combat that problem, Super Shot and other local agencies put together a series of clinics for refugees this summer. The idea is to catch another wave of Burmese refugees expected to arrive this summer before their children head to school this fall, Zachrich said.
Planners are expecting to see about 360 children at those refugee-only clinics including a mix of new arrivals and some children already here, she said.
aiacone@jg.net
