Clovis schools ending vaccine program

CLOVIS — The “changing and ever-increasing” mandates that regulate the storage, handling, and transportation of vaccines has led Clovis Municipal Schools to stop the Vaccines for Children Immunization Program, said CMS Director of Health Services Rhonda Sparks.

CMS has partnered with local healthcare providers and pharmacies to replace the federally funded program that provides free vaccines.

The New Mexico Department of Health’s Southwest Region Public Information Officer David Morgan said immunizations are available at the Curry County Public Health Office in Clovis by appointment only.

“It’s just a matter of going to your local public health office, kids will be vaccinated,” Morgan said.

Morgan said parents are encouraged to bring a copy of their child’s shot record and their insurance card, including Medicaid if applicable.

Insurance is not required to receive vaccinations, which are available at no cost. Appointments can be made by calling 575-763-5583 and selecting option 4.

Morgan is based in Las Cruces and said that when schools stopped supplying vaccinations there last year, the local public health office saw a rise in the number of children coming in for immunizations.

Sparks said the decision to stop the program at CMS was based on logistics that made it difficult for the district to comply with the mandates and that the setup for local healthcare providers is much more conducive to administering vaccines.

Where a doctor’s office or pharmacy can store and administer vaccines in the same location, CMS did not have that luxury.

Vaccines were stored in a central location and then delivered to each individual school when a school nurse received the proper paperwork.

With the time and effort needed to service over a dozen schools, Sparks said it made sense to stop the program.

Fewer and fewer students have been administered vaccines by the district recently, which also factored into the decision to cut the program, she said.

Though CMS will no longer be administering vaccines, the Health Services department will continue to ensure students receive the vaccinations necessary to attend school.

“We will still be focused on keeping parents abreast of what children are missing and what they’re coming up on,” Sparks said.

Now that students will not receive vaccinations in school, Sparks said it encourages kids to attend yearly checkups with a doctor where the vaccines are typically administered, which also comes with other benefits.

Sparks does not have any concerns about students’ inability to receive vaccines.

“I believe our community partners who we’ve spoken with will step up,” Sparks said.