Rebecca King, a State School Nurse Consultant
and Section 504 Coordinator of the
West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Special Programs, has
been recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as
Childhood Immunization Champion for her outstanding efforts to promote
childhood immunization in West Virginia. King has been a charter member, chair
and executive committee member of numerous professional organizations and
partnerships that seek to improve immunization rates in West Virginia.
“I am very humbled and appreciative of this
great honor, but accept it with the understanding that such work is only
accomplished within a true team,” King said. “Without this team, West
Virginia would succumb to lower health standards and higher incidents of
disease outbreaks which eventually lead to increased student and staff
absenteeism, lower test scores and higher dropout rates. I am proud of the
great people of West Virginia who continue to support our most valuable
asset…our children.”
Each year
during National Infant Immunization Week, CDC honors health professionals and community leaders from around
the country with the CDC Childhood Immunization Champion awards.
These awards acknowledge the outstanding efforts of those individuals who
strive to ensure that children in their communities are fully immunized against
14 preventable diseases before the age of two.
“Ensuring that every child is vaccinated on schedule is particularly
important given the current measles outbreak, which has affected more than 150
people across the country since the beginning of the year,” said Dr. Anne
Schuchat, Assistant Surgeon General for the United States Public Health Service
and Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases. “We could not achieve our goal of protecting children without those
committed individuals who are promoting immunizations at the state and local
levels.”
CDC Childhood Immunization Champions were selected from a pool of health professionals, coalition members,
community advocates, and other immunization leaders.
“Through the Childhood Immunization Champion awards, CDC and West Virginia proudly
acknowledge Ms. King’s passion, hard work, and commitment to children’s
health,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, State Health Officer and Commissioner for the
Bureau for Public Health. “She is an inspiration to all of us who work to
improve the health of children in West Virginia.”
Media Contact: Sarah Lieu, Public Information Specialist,Division of Immunization Services - telephone: (304) 356-4099 or sarah.m.lieu@wv.gov