While a number of students in Ottawa face suspensions from inefficient immunization records, the Centretown Community Health Centre has found itself overrun with a profusion of student patients and parents seeking vaccinations.
Christine Nadori, manager of the Cooper Street CCHC, says the centre has experienced a noticeable change in pace since Ottawa Public Health sent out letters to parents in September.
But most recently the demand for updated immunization records has become a major workload issue.
She added the centre has seen a 30-per-cent increase in nurse activity and consequently has had to increase staffing levels and schedule more overtime.
Between Dec. 15 and Jan. 18, OPH suspended 3,100 students in Ottawa schools at the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, the Conseil des écoles catholique du Centre-Est, and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
The latest round of suspensions were issued on Jan. 19 to approximately 700 elementary students from schools of the OCDSB.
A week later, on Jan. 26, a second round of suspensions for OCDSB students were to be announced.
E-mails specifically for OCDSB students were sent out to parents at the beginning of January, which informed them that failure to update their child’s immunization records would result in a suspension.
“Parents have about a month to get back to us before they face a suspension,” says OPH spokesperson Marie-Claude Turcotte.
“As we suspend, you can imagine that parents get the urge to call us and give us the information.”
Turcotte added the overall response to suspensions has been taken well.
As of Jan. 21, 99 per cent of students who were suspended between Dec. 15 and Jan. 11, have updated their immunization records with OPH and returned to school.
Carla Bonora, whose son Luca attends Glashan Public School, says she received an e-mail from the OCDSB and her son’s records are up to date.
But Bonora says she empathizes with parents and guardians who are frantically trying to avoid having their child suspended.
“I think that this is a good way to make sure other children have their vaccines, but I think that (Ottawa Public Health) should give parents more time to update their child’s immunizations,” she says.
“I know there is a due date for the 26th of January to present up-to-date records, but I really think they should give more time to the families to go about that,” she said.
Nadori and her nursing staff are also critical of OPH’s methods during this hectic time.
“As the frontline providers of immunizations, it would have been preferable to have more advance notice from Ottawa Public Health and possibly some input in this catch-up immunization program,” she says.
“We found out at the same time as the parents did. Anything that affects our workload to this degree affects the quality of care and access for all of our clients.”
And while the centre attempts to work through its increase in patients, Nadori still stressed the significance of having updated immunization records.
“It’s important for kids to be immunized—period. The mechanism to track this is through their immunization records,” she says.
“As a community we need to maintain our herd immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, polio, diphtheria.”
Parents who have received a letter requesting immunization information can update their records by contacting Ottawa Public Health online, by fax (613 580-9660), by phone (613 580-6744) or through the ImmunizeCA app (appottawa.immunize.ca).
Records can also be sent to OPH by mail to: Immunization Program, 100 Constellation Drive, 7th floor West, Mail Code 26-44, Ottawa K2G 6J8.
For children missing their immunizations, parents and guardians are asked to contact their family doctor.
Families without a physician can access a catch-up clinic by appointment in east-end and west-end locations. To book an appointment, these families can call OPH at 613-580-674.