(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Connections Area Agency on Aging and USAging in Washington, D.C. have been awarded the 2024 Immunization Neighborhood Champion Award by the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) for their work through the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative (ADVC). The NAIIS Immunization Excellence Awards recognize the extraordinary contributions of individuals and organizations towards improved vaccination rates within their communities during the past year.

Connections Area Agency on Aging is a founding member of the ADVC, which works with Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other community-based organizations (CBOs) nationwide with a network of over 1,400 partner organizations to increase the number of older adults and people with disabilities who receive COVID-19 and Influenza (flu) vaccines.

The ADVC is led by USAging, which represents and supports the national network of AAAs and advocates for the Title VI Native American Aging Programs that help older adults and people with disabilities live with optimal health, well-being, independence and dignity in their homes and communities.

Since May 2023, Connections Area Agency on Aging and other ADVC partners have administered more than 378,000 COVID-19 and flu vaccines. Approximately 11 percent were given to people receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for the first time. Additionally, ADVC partners have administered 112,000 RSV, shingles, pneumococcal and other vaccines. They also provided 441,000 supportive services such as transportation to vaccine clinics, assistance with appointments and information and referral to aging and disability resources.

In Iowa, through a collaboration with local public health organizations, Hy-Vee stores, Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Area Agencies on Aging statewide, we administered a total of 1,931 flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Additionally, in 2023, the ADVC partnership facilitated the administration of 1,772 other vaccines, including those for pneumococcal disease, shingles, RSV, and more. Connections Area Agency on Aging’s CEO Kelly Butts-Elston says “We are proud to be a grantee for this important initiative. It’s been an honor and privilege to participate in a program that has done so much for the health and well being of older Iowans.”

USAging CEO Sandy Markwood says “It’s an incredible honor for USAging’s ADVC to be recognized with this award by the NAIIS. It’s a testament to the power of this collaborative and the critical role that AAAs, CILs and CBOs play in promoting life-saving vaccinations which are a centerpiece of health and healthy aging for all of us.”

The ADVC also works with more than 20 national partners with expertise in areas such as autism, LBGTQ+ issues and ethnically diverse older adults to best serve people with different or unique needs. USAging’s ADVC is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through USAging as part of a financial assistance award to USAging totaling $74,999,835 with 100-percent funding by ACL/HHS.