Policy and Advocacy
Immunization policies can help to make vaccines available to the community and much work is being done to advocate for policies that can improve the health of the public.
There are three key groups that help craft the US government policy on immunization: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
Non-government groups are also instrumental in setting immunization guidelines and policy, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics. Various other groups have policies on various other aspects of immunizations, including ANA. Still, more groups are integral in advocating for immunizations to remain a central part of public health in America, and globally.
Learn about the latest policies that may affect nurses and patients regarding immunization.
Policy Statements
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has long standing policy supporting immunizations for nurses and across the life span. For nurses, ANA believes that they have a professional and ethical obligation to be immunized - it protects both the health of the nurse, and the health of her or his patients and community.
In addition to ANA, many other professional health care organizations have policy statements on the importance of vaccination for both health care workers and the general population. This demonstrates the strong, broad consensus that immunizations are an essential public health and prevention strategy that ensures a healthy and thriving population.
ANA in the Community
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is actively engaged in immunization advocacy efforts, partnering with other medical professional and health-related organizations to promote the benefits of vaccines, and encourage vaccination across the life span. ANA is also the voice of nursing at many influential policy making bodies, and works with other nursing organizations to ensure that nurses are getting and giving vaccines!