PRESS RELEASE

Plainfield Health Center Exceeds Immunization Metrics
Remarkable Outcomes Despite Vaccine Shortage

For Immediate Release: Monday, March 17, 2003-PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY- The Plainfield Health Center (PHC), one of fifteen Federally Qualified Health Centers in New Jersey, dedicated to providing cost effective primary health care services for the residents of Plainfield and surrounding communities, announced today that it exceeded expected immunization statistics, according to a recent state audit.

For the past two years there has been a severe shortage of vaccines throughout the country. While government and industry disputed who has responsibility for problems with the national childhood immunization program, vaccine shortages increased. With vaccines on back order, nurses and physicians struggled to inoculate pediatric patients as vaccines became available. At a time when many children fell behind schedule, Plainfield Health Center Pediatrics persisted, and with a real desire to protect a whole generation from terrible diseases, collaborated with preschools and school nurses, and kept PHC’s program and its patients current. A recent state audit of PHC’s 2002 pediatric immunization data showed a remarkable 91% of PHC patients were up to date with their shots. In addition, 76% of young patients new to PHC had received all recommended ‘catch up’ shots before moving out of the area.

“Immunization is a particularly difficult process with pre-school patients,” said Dr. Sabika Basu, Chief of Plainfield Health Center Pediatrics. “Children must become current with their immunizations to enter the school system, but unless they are under the care of a pediatrician and receiving quality primary health care, chances are that the early immunization series has been ignored. Plainfield Health Center has traditionally exceeded the State of New Jersey’s standards for immunization for its patients, but it was especially challenging during a time of vaccine scarcity,” said Dr. Basu.

To learn more about Plainfield Health Center, or to schedule an appointment with a pediatrician, please call 908.7536401, extension 117.

About The Plainfield Health Center

The Plainfield Health Center, incorporated as the Plainfield Neighborhood Health Services Corporation, was born in 1969 under the auspices of the 1960's Model Cities Neighborhood Program. Led by a dedicated group of community activists, the Center was initially created to provide accessible health care to the residents of the West End of Plainfield.

Since then, the Center has grown, added more services, increased the number of specialties of professional health staff, and expanded its reach to the entire City of Plainfield, the City of Elizabeth, and neighboring communities. Today, the Plainfield Health Center serves more than 20,000 patients annually. Its total care program provides adult medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, adolescent medicine, school based services, dentistry and ancillary support services.

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