Vaccination Rates for Newborns Exceed State Benchmark at SLV Health

In October of 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment recognized San Luis Valley Health for exceeding the state standard for vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B. This is important because the CDC estimates that 800 newborns in the U.S. are chronically infected each year from exposure at birth or during the first months of life. The first dose of hepatitis B vaccine is a crucial initial step to protect infants from lifelong hepatitis B infection and liver disease.  In 2016, at the SLV Regional Medical Center, 468 infants were born at the hospital with a hepatitis B birth dose rate of 85%. The percent at Colorado hospitals was 76%. This is an important achievement and the medical staff are to be commended for their hard work and using best practices. Using standard orders is an effective way to increase the hepatitis B birth dose vaccination rates.