Underserved Community Programs
The Primaris is the state Medicare Quality Improvement Organization. As a not-for-profit, private company, we are contracted with the federal government to improve healthcare in the state of Missouri. We are currently working in partnership with many St. Louis City and County stakeholder groups to improve the rate of influenza immunization among elderly African Americans in St. Louis.
We are working together to increase the number of influenza immunizations among African American Medicare beneficiaries living in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. We are striving to: create synergy through our mission, work with community resources, build a broader base, use institutions as the gateway, and enhance existing networks.
Our vision is to recognize and promote prevention of influenza as a major component to improving care for the elderly who are susceptible to influenza complications, including pneumonia. This project is designed to promote effective strategies of outreach through trusted spokespersons and targeted messages to improve the health of one of our most vulnerable populations.
We are working on the following objectives for this project to:
- Improve the awareness of the need for influenza immunizations
- Increase influenza immunizations rates
- Decrease illness and death rates
- Learn more about the health needs of African American seniors
- Develop successful health care messages to promote influenza immunizations
- Identify community stakeholders and learn about current influenza immunizations activities
- Combine project activities into current community efforts regarding influenza immunizations
- Facilitate the collaborative efforts for promoting administering influenza immunizations
Primaris offers the following resources to staff implementing immunization quality improvement projects in their facilities:
- Access to a team of professionals certified in health care quality
- Easy-to-use and adapt quality improvement tools
- Data abstraction tools and services
- Continuous quality improvement training and services
For additional underserved community program resources, visit www.medqic.org. MedQIC is the Medicare Quality Improvement Community, a Web-based resource created and supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for its Medicare National Quality Improvement Priorities. You can also contact:
Dorothy Andrea, MHA, BSN, RN, CPHQ, Regional Manager, at (800) 735-6776, Ext. 209 or dandrae@primaris.org.
Additional Resources
Communities Targeted for Flu Immunization Project
Cultural Competency Brief
Influenza Immunizations for Older African Americans Residing in Metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri: Focus Group Findings
Reducing Healthcare Disparities
Knowledge and Beliefs About Influenza, Pneumococcal Disease, and Immunizations Among Older People
Reducing Disparity of Influenza Immunizations in St. Louis African-Americans