Calais Regional Medical Services (CRMS) was presented with an award for having over a 90% success rate of immunizations for its pediatric patients in 2008.   Statewide, only 10 of 120 practices achieved this level.  
The award was announced at the Maine Immunization Program Conference, sponsored by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  The conference is a dedicated review of emerging and existing issues relating to immunization practice, at the federal, state and local levels. 
CRMS staff work as a team to meet guidelines set for immunizations by the Federal CDC – Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.  Parents are reminded about appointments and staff work to follow up on missed appointments with phone calls or letters.  CRMS nurses keep excellent records of those due for immunizations and are urged to remind physicians and parents when children are due for a vaccine.   Physicians and nurses in the practice keep well informed about vaccines and current schedules.  The team works to inform and educate parents on the importance of vaccines and is comfortable giving multiple immunizations at the same time.  It also helps that the CRMS patient population has a positive attitude toward immunizations.
     According to the CDC, the United States currently has the highest immunization rates and the lowest disease levels recorded.  CRMS takes great pride in being an important part of these statistics and knowing our communities’ children are being adequately immunized.