Late last month, as many as 2,600 students in Prince George's County, Maryland, and 900 students in Baltimore were barred from school because they had still not received immunizations required by the state of Maryland (Baltimore Sun, Sept. 27, 2007). The irony of this situation cannot go unstated. Students are being kept out of school because they are lacking the immunizations they need to help keep them healthy so they won't miss school and get behind academically due to preventable illnesses.
State and local governments recognize that death or illness from a vaccine-preventative disease is a tragedy that should not occur in America, and require a series of vaccines before students attend school. Parents also want to keep their children healthy-and in school. Yet, many parents cannot afford the time off from work they need to get their children essential vaccinations and other preventative care. In fact, 66 million working people nationwide don't have a paid sick day at all, or cannot use their sick days to care for a family member. The Healthy Families Act, legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Congress, aims to help working families by guaranteeing workers seven paid sick days a year to recover from their own illnesses or to care for the health of a family member, including immunizations.
Since the first guidelines were offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the 1930s, the number of required immunizations has doubled. Many of the vaccines that protect children and families from the most serious illnesses require multiple doses, which can translate to more than 30 vaccines for a child before age five. Pre-teens and teens need several additional vaccines to be protected from potential disease. Furthermore, during the next 20 years, the number of recommended vaccines could triple. Yet, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control found that only 60.1 percent of 13 - 17 year olds are up to date on the Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis vaccinations.
As these Maryland students prepared to return to school, their parents made sure they were equipped with all the school supplies -- books, backpacks, pens and paper -- needed for a successful school year. Their parents probably shopped for these essentials at stores over the weekend or at night. Unfortunately they didn't have the same flexibility and convenience with getting their children immunized as they did with getting their back-to-school supplies because vaccinations aren't always available during the convenient night-time back-to-school shopping sales.
Visits to a doctor's office, neighborhood clinic, or the health department can be extremely hard on working parents when they need to take time off work to ensure their children have the vaccinations they need to start school. According to recent data from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, almost half of all workers in the private sector do not even have a single paid sick day per year. Millions more are not allowed to use their sick days to take their children to the doctor. Parents should not be forced to choose between the jobs they need and the children they love -- especially when their children's health and academic well-being are at stake.
The Healthy Families Act would guarantee workers seven paid sick days a year to care for themselves or family members. We support giving parents the time off they need so their children can have access to essential vaccinations and other preventative health care. That's why the Healthy Families Act is a win-win for children and families, employers and employees, and school nurses and the public they serve.
Amy Garcia, RN
Executive Director
National Association of School Nurses
Lois Capps, RN
U.S. House of Representatives
Former School Nurse
A Peaceful Revolution is a weekly blog about work/life satisfaction done in collaboration with MomsRising.org. Read a blog by a leading thinker in the field every Tuesday.