Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has opened appointments for measles vaccination at 23 of its primary care locations. Whether a child currently has a Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin primary care doctor or not, families can go online to chw.org/measles to schedule an appointment to receive the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella).

The clinics will provide the vaccine based on a child’s vaccination history in the Wisconsin Immunization Record.

“We want to keep kids healthy and out of the hospital, so we established these clinic appointments to make it as easy as possible for families to start or complete the measles vaccination process,” said Smriti Khare, MD, president of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Primary Care. “Measles was essentially eliminated in America, but we are now seeing cases across the country, including in neighboring states like Illinois and Michigan. We know that the vaccine will prevent the disease and we want to make it as easy as possible to get the vaccination.”

Families can check their child’s immunization record by going to chw.org/measles and following the link to the Wisconsin Immunization Record. If a child’s record includes a “Recommended Now” result for MMR, an appointment can be made online at a location convenient for the family.

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is also sending letters to patients of Children’s Medical Group who may be in need of one or both required doses of the measles vaccine. Letters have been mailed to these households encouraging them to make an appointment with the family’s primary care doctor or through Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin measles clinic online scheduling.

Vaccination efforts at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

In 2009, Children’s made a commitment to boost vaccination rates in our region. By collaborating with community partners, we have been able to increase the vaccination rates among 2-year-olds in our care and throughout the state. Dozens of children every year die in the United States from highly contagious diseases like the flu, measles, mumps and whooping cough. That is why Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is committed to promoting and increasing vaccination rates of kids in Wisconsin.