NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN

In response to a national outbreak of measles in the late 80s/early 90s, CAN partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Surgeon General, federal public health agencies, Congressional leaders, and pharmaceutical companies to lead a national public education campaign aimed at increasing immunization rates of children under the age of two. In order to get the word out about the importance of immunizing young children, CAN worked closely with the media to feature immunization stories on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, Fox Morning News, and all four television network evening news broadcasts. Editorials ran in numerous papers including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and public service announcements—featuring Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jimmy Smits—----aired in more than 60 media markets and over 4,000 movie theaters nationwide.

As a result of the Campaign, over 200,000 children were immunized and more than 2.5 million English and Spanish-language brochures were distributed to families through community sites. Today, the National Immunization Campaign’s strategy is singled-out as the model for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization initiatives.