Illinois Department of Public Health Receives Bull’s-Eye Award for vaccine management
Enhancements to the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Registry Exchange (I-CARE)

[July 31, 2015]  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is one of three state immunization programs in the country to receive the AIM (Association of Immunization Managers) Bull's-Eye Award for Innovation and Excellence in Immunization.

The award recognizes immunization strategies that “hit their mark” by achieving identified goals. The award also serves to increase awareness of outstanding initiatives and encourages other state immunization programs to replicate or adopt similar efforts to improve performance.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Immunization Program enhanced its Illinois Comprehensive Automated Registry Exchange (I-CARE). Staff developed vaccine ordering and accountability enhancements to allow providers to easily order and manage vaccines online. These added abilities allowed IDPH to approve publicly funded vaccine orders in a more efficient and effective manner, thus ensuring providers have more product available for eligible patients.

“Immunizations are the most cost-effective way to help prevent transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases, but only if providers have enough vaccine,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “I am very proud of our IDPH immunization staff and the enhancements they’ve made to the I-CARE program, which will allow the State to be better stewards of publicly funded vaccines and ensure providers are accountable for the vaccines received from the State.”

More information about I-CARE can be found on the IDPH website at www.dph.illinois.gov, and more information about the Bull’s-Eye Award can be found on the AIM website at http://www. immunizationmanagers.org/. 

[Illinois Department of Public Health]