Dear Healthcare Partner,
 
You play an important role in child and adolescent health, including vaccination and cancer prevention. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is recommended for all children 11-12 years old to prevent cancer. As you may know, HPV can cause a variety of cancers, including cervical cancer, oropharyngeal (head/neck) cancer, anal cancer, and several other cancers. The HPV vaccine can prevent 93% of cancer cases caused by HPV. However, as of 2019, only 63.2% of New Hampshire adolescents had completed the vaccine series by age 17, leaving about one-in-three at-risk for HPV cancers. Unfortunately, too, disruptions in preventive care due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a national decline in HPV vaccine administration by 18%.
 
Now is the time for adolescents to catch-up on immunizations, and we need your help. We are encouraging all primary care and pediatric providers to work with their administration to take action by:

• Reviewing current adolescent rates by site and provider
• Pulling overdue and newly due patient lists
• Sending letters/emails inviting patients in for annual well-child visits and immunizations
• Calling patients to schedule well-child and immunization visits

We have included an action guide with more details on getting patients in for vaccinations, as well as sample handouts you may find helpful as you reach out to parents.
 
The compilation of these resources was supported by Live HPV Cancer-Free, a working group dedicated to increasing HPV vaccine rates in New Hampshire. If you have any questions, would like more resources, or would like to discuss how we can work together to increase HPV vaccination in our state, please contact them at NCCC.Community.Outreach@Dartmouth.edu.
 
Thank you for all you do!
 
Parent Handout 1
 
Parent Handout 2
 
Provider Action Guide