About the Immunization Services Division

Our mission

Protect people and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases by equitably increasing access, confidence, and demand for vaccines.

Priorities

1. Increase vaccine equity and confidence in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program through the Let’s RISE collaborative initiative to reduce the decline in 24 month 7 series and kindergarten vaccine coverage rates.

2. Improve readiness for vaccine-preventable diseases outbreak response for CDC staff and jurisdictional immunization programs.

3. Use multiple data sources to develop an approach for estimating vaccine coverage at local, state, and national levels, including race and ethnicity, age group, and vaccine type.

4. Advance vaccine access in children and adults through:

• Increasing the number of access points for vaccines through “non-traditional” providers (e.g., pharmacies, long-term care facilities, community-located vaccination, school-located vaccination).
• Increasing the number of VFC participating providers in areas where they are most needed.

Goals

The ISD Strategic Plan informs how the division allocates its time, energy, and resources. The plan identifies ISD's goals and strategies for the next five years (2023–2028).

Increase vaccine access

• Use data to identify areas and populations of concern.

• Improve vaccine access for low-coverage areas across urban, suburban, and rural communities.

• Increase investments to promote cost-free access to adult vaccination.

• Improve on successes of the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program.

Promote vaccine confidence and demand

• Work with partners to build vaccine confidence and demand in populations with low coverage.

• Provide technical assistance and support to partners on building vaccine confidence.

• Analyze data and conduct research to understand the characteristics and drivers of vaccine confidence.

• Explore and implement creative strategies to mitigate mis/disinformation.

Enhance data, research, and evaluation

• Deepen the breadth and accuracy of immunization data on vaccine coverage, access, and demand.

• Expand and modernize immunization data systems, surveys, and infrastructure.

• Collaborate across the CDC and with partners to improve the quality and interoperability of immunization data and data systems.

• Conduct research, evaluate intervention efficacy, and disseminate findings to improve vaccine access, confidence, demand, and coverage.

Strengthen program support for partners

• Strengthen technical assistance and resources to build partner capacity, including on data, vaccine confidence and demand, reducing disparities, and improving access for all.

• Promote increased collaboration and information sharing across partners.

• Identify, sustain, and scale evidence-based interventions across partners.

• Work with a wide range of partners to develop innovative programs to improve vaccine coverage.

Improve vaccination equity

• Lead, coordinate, and amplify governmental and partner efforts to reduce vaccination disparities.

• Expand research to uncover drivers of vaccine coverage by population and geography.

• Prioritize equity in the planning, allocation, and implementation of ISD resources.

• Use data to identify and implement opportunities to increase uptake in populations experiencing vaccination disparities.

Enhance vaccination response readiness

• Use data to identify at-risk communities and predict emerging threats.

• Collaborate to develop, maintain, and improve emergency response data and interoperability of information systems.

• Coordinate, build capacity, and enhance readiness capabilities at the federal, state, and local levels.

• Build strength and resilience across the immunization workforce.

The strategic plan is a living document. ISD leadership, including branch chiefs, will conduct annual reviews of the plan to align its goals and strategies with changing priorities, funding availability, and broader trends across the immunization landscape. ISD may also seek input from internal and external partners to inform the review, updates, and associated implementation.