Partnering to improve infant immunizations: The Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization (TAPII)

The Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization (TAPII) is a public-private partnership intended to achieve the year 2000 goal of 90% infant immunizations. Created in 1992 as a means to develop a statewide approach to improving infant immunization rates- TAPII is a broad-based partnership that includes public health departments- managed care plans- professional organizations- medical organizations- pharmaceutical companies- businesses- the faith community- the media- and many others. TAPII's organizational structure includes a steering committee and five subcommittees: advocacy and policy- community awareness- provider awareness- survey and assessment- and strategic planning. A key accomplishment of TAPII has been the development of a statewide infant immunization registry known as the Arizona Statewide Immunization Information System (ASIIS). This registry will facilitate up-to-date immunizations of children and improve statewide immunization assessment capability. Since the advent of TAPII- infant immunization rates within private managed care plans have increased. However- significant improvement in statewide rates will require long-term strategic efforts in provider and community awareness and a fully operational statewide registry- ASIIS- which is set to begin in January 1998. TAPII has been a successful partnership for a number of reasons: private sector participation- a single and measurable goal- vision and leadership- a strong emphasis on assessment- a broad-based membership- community ownership- Governor's Office participation- health plan involvement- and full-time project staffing. As resources to improve the health of communities diminish- public-private partnerships such as TAPII can effectively consolidate resources and expertise to improve the health of populations.