DENVER, CO – The Colorado Health Foundation today submitted a letter to the Colorado Board of Health supporting the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) proposed rule changes to the frequency and process of submitting non-medical immunization exemption forms for children attending schools and licensed child care facilities (LCCF).
The proposed changes will help parents make educated decisions about immunizations, and give them more accurate data on immunization rates in their child’s school or LCCF as well as offer them more opportunities to consider their immunization decisions.
Current Colorado statute requires parents to submit a record showing receipt of all required vaccines or an immunization exemption form for religious, medical or personal belief reasons when enrolling a child in a school or LCCF. Parents seeking an exemption are only required to enter forms once, unless the student changes schools or LCCF — often making it easier for parents to claim exemption than provide immunization records on multiple occasions.
"Immunizations are a cost-effective prevention that directly improves kids’ health outcomes. Unfortunately, our latest Colorado Health Report Card shows that the percentage of Colorado children getting recommended vaccines has dropped from 75.8 percent to 69.2 percent since 2011," said Rahn Porter, interim CEO of the Colorado Health Foundation. "The proposed rule changes empower parents to make educated decisions about their child’s health and about their childcare and school choices."
Read the full letter detailing the Foundation’s support for the proposed CDPHE rule changes.