Parkland Health & Hospital System and UT Southwestern Medical Center, both located in Dallas, launched a project in 2009 that resulted in a 61.4 percent HPV vaccine up-to-date rate at Parkland in 2016.
Parkland began a research and quality improvement collaboration with UT Southwestern in 2009 aimed at increasing the HPV vaccination rate in Dallas County. In 2009-10, HPV vaccine initiation was 29.1 percent and completion of the three-dose series was 6.9 percent at Parkland.
In 2010, Parkland implemented standing orders based on U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommendations. These orders allowed nurses to assess HPV immunization status and administer vaccines in accordance with the protocol approved by Parkland and authorized physicians.
Additionally, Austin-based Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas gave the project team a grant to study the impact of educational pamphlets mailed to parents of young patients before clinic visits. Parkland/UT Southwestern also used a Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program grant to implement telephone recalls and increase HPV completion rate among African American girls. National Cancer Institute funding allowed Parkland to develop and test the Project Voice app, which aimed to motivate hesitant parents to get their child vaccinated.
Due to these activities, Parkland's HPV vaccine up-to-date rate spiked to 61.4 percent in 2016.
"This Parkland/UT Southwestern partnership is ensuring that the HPV vaccine, one of the greatest cancer research discoveries in the past century, reaches and benefits the Dallas safety-net population at highest risk for developing HPV-related cancers," said Noel Santini, MD, senior medical director of ambulatory services at Parkland.