LeadingAge joined nine other healthcare-focused member associations at a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-hosted roundtable forum as the 2024/2025 Fall/Winter Virus Season starts.

The September 26 event, held at the CDC’s Washington D.C. office, provided an opportunity for information sharing with the goal of ensuring that key messages and best practices on vaccine acceptance and uptake are communicated effectively.

Following a discussion of data from last season including hospitalizations (one million people) and deaths (100,000) due to respiratory viruses, CDC officials predicted a lower, compared to last season, rate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu and COVID-19 cases but said the rate predicted is still high compared to previous, pre-COVID years.

CDC officials then explained the government’s approach to illness reduction for late 2024 into 2025; among the topics covered were types of available vaccines to protect against flu, COVID-19 and RSV and inoculation schedules. A video of the Risk Less. Do More. campaign, recently released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was also viewed.

Attendees discussed initiatives underway at their organizations to promote vaccine uptake and education. LeadingAge, a collaborator with HHS on Risk Less. Do More, shared our various activities–disseminating resources on social media and at various events with members to help with education and vaccine promotion for instance–as well as advocating for access and payment for vaccines.

Participants, who included representatives from American Nurses Association, Gerontological Society for America, Association of Immunization Managers, American Pharmacists Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Choose Health Life, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Adult Vaccine Access Coalition and the American Health Care Association (AHCA), discussed challenges to vaccine uptake, such as access, payment and vaccine fatigue. However, ideas about potential collaborations among primary care providers, jurisdictions, and pharmacies to increase vaccine acceptance were also explored.

CDC closed the meeting acknowledging the challenges presented and praised the work attendees are engaging in for their organizations.

As we do every fall/winter virus season, LeadingAge will stay in contact with the CDC, and will share our members’ experiences, both negative and positive.