• Pneumonia and influenza infections are the 8th leading cause of death in the United States and 10th in New Mexico. Influenza leads to more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths nationally each year. The most recommended interventions to reduce these hospitalizations and deaths are flu and pneumococcal vaccination.
• The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic caused an estimated 270,000 hospitalizations and 12,270 deaths in the U.S., between April 2009 and March 2010.
• In 2016, the New Mexico age-adjusted pneumonia and influenza death rate was 14.4 per 100,000 population.
• Experts recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone six months and older, with few exceptions, and specifically for these high priority groups: pregnant women (up to two weeks post-partum); children younger than two years of age; people aged 65 plus; people living with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases; people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities; people who live with or care for babies younger than six months; American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and people who are morbidly obese.

• University of New Mexico
• New Mexico Immunization Coalition
• Office of the Medical Investigator
• NM Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology
• New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) regional health promotion teams
• School districts and schools
• Hospital infection control practitioners
• Indian Health Services
• Albuquerque Tribal Epidemiology Center
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Emerging Infections Program
• Bureau of Indian Education-New Mexico

• Promoting the pneumococcal vaccine among adults ≥65 years of age and influenza vaccine among individuals ≥6 months of age.
• Legislative mandates to offer vaccination in healthcare settings.
• Increase community education and awareness of benefits of vaccinations.
• Decrease logistical, financial barriers to get vaccinated.  

• Measure the percent of adults ≥65 years of age who receive pneumococcal vaccine.
• Measure the percent of the population ≥6 months of age who receive influenza vaccine.

Efforts to develop an evaluation plan have also served as a starting point for program implementation. The pneumonia and influenza death rate reduction for Native Americans in New Mexico initiative has since met with and garnered support from the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Services Immunization program, Managed Care Organizations, Johns Hopkins University, NMDOH Public Health Division’s Immunization program as well as members of tribal communities in the affected areas.  New Mexico passed legislation in 2017 that requires hospitals to ask and offer the pneumococcal vaccine to patients aged 65 years and older prior to discharge.