Alerts: June 13, 2025: Construction work on the SRHD College Avenue building begins on Monday, June 16, and is expected to continue for eight weeks. Please be mindful of areas around the building that are closed for safety. | Some federal websites are experiencing disruptions while being reviewed for compliance with President Trump’s executive orders. As a result, some links and information on srhd.org may be unavailable. | Spokane Regional Health District's offices will be closed on Thursday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.
Separate outbreaks of hepatitis A (hep A) and hepatitis B (hep B) occurring in the Spokane community prompted rapid response from Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) to administer Twinrix (hepatitis A and B combination vaccine) to the communities at highest risk for disease acquisition, namely people living homeless, people using injection drugs, and men who have sex with men.
In each issue of the Epigram, authors introduce readers to a member of the health district's Disease Prevention and Response team. In this issue, Kari Lidbeck, Immunization Community Network Specialist, is featured. Lidbeck works in the Immunization Assessment and Promotion program, where she focuses on increasing immunization rates in birth to kindergarten-age children and community immunization services.
Multiple continuing education opportunities are coming soon! April 25 - National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) offers a free webinar on Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Healthcare Personnel Immunization. May 22 - VaxExpo at CenterPlace Event Center in Spokane Valley. Coming Soon - Free e-learning course on Communicating with Parents about Vaccines.
Recognizing the need to bring health messaging to the community in various languages, SRHD Immunization Assessment & Promotion program developed culturally competent, ethnically diverse fliers and posters in multiple languages that promote routine childhood immunizations.
It is important to recognize and remember that all parents want to do what is best for their child. While each family is different and not all methods of communicating will work for every parent or healthcare provider, important communication strategies exist to reassure families of vaccine safety.
