Help Prevent Cervical Cancer

As many PAs know, January is Cervical Cancer Screening Month, and AAPA would like to share some important with you about a new ongoing Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) campaign called Reality Check.

The campaign’s goal is to encourage young women to talk to their healthcare professional — including PAs — about ways to help prevent cervical cancer, including getting a Pap test, getting vaccinated against cervical cancer and making lifestyle modifications to help prevent HPV infection.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Releases 2010 Immunization Schedule for Children Ages 0-18

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ACIP released the updated immunization schedule for children ages 0-18 years. The updated schedule reflects new timing for the last polio vaccination, meningococcal re-vaccination recommendations, hepatitis A vaccination expansion, and HPV vaccine recommendations for males.

The Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons aged 0 through 18 years are also approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. The complete schedule published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; January 8, 2010 / 58 (51&52); 1-4.

Is this information helpful to you and your practice? Let AAPA know by contacting me, Doug Scott at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tuning DVT Awareness into Action

AAPA attended the 7th annual Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) meeting where this year’s theme is to turn awareness into action. AAPA is a member of the Coalition.

To kick off the DVT Awareness Month (March 2, 2010), the Coalition has developed a DVT Awareness in Motion educational program to emphasize the importance of preventive care through movement in settings where mobility may be restricted. The program includes simple low impact movement that can be done anywhere, at any time to improve blood circulation. The DVT educational download can be accessed here.

Vaccines and Needles

Do you give vaccines?

AAPA would like to share with its members, two important immunization resources published by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC). Needle Tips, for all health professionals — including PAs — who give immunizations and Vaccinate Adults, a version of Needle Tips modified for those who work only with adult patients. Both are available for online reading and/or printing.

These publications contain ready-to-print educational materials for healthcare professionals and their patients, updated immunization schedules, vaccine news highlights, and IAC’s popular “Ask the Experts” question-and-answer column with answers by CDC experts William Atkinson, MD, and Andrew Kroger, MD. The current issues of Needle Tips and Vaccinate Adults focus on seasonal and H1N1 influenza.