AIM invites interested parties to participate in its Immunization Program (IP) and Birthing Institution Community of Practice (CoP) to Optimize Infant Protection Against RSV.
AIM is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to:
- Working with its partners nationwide to reduce, eliminate, or eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases
- Promoting adequate and efficient allocation of resources to immunization efforts
- Promoting the development and implementation of sound immunization policies and programs
- Providing a forum for the development and dissemination of information about effective immunization programs among its members
This learning opportunity will engage up to four paired teams of a birthing hospital/hospital system and the federally funded immunization program from the same jurisdiction over a six-month period. Teams will work together to increase newborn access to immunizations by enrolling the birthing hospital/hospital system in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, allowing them to provide seasonal RSV mAb products to all newborns, regardless of insurance status, prior to hospital discharge. These efforts will ensure newborns are protected from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at the first available opportunity and prior to exposure to RSV in the community.
To Express Interest
Interest forms for AIM’s CoP to Optimize Newborn Immunization should be emailed to Katy Gore at [email protected] by COB on Friday, February 27, 2026.
Please note: This form does not commit you, nor does it guarantee your participation. Participants selected to join will receive an email of selection confirming their intent to participate on the week of March 9, 2026. There is no funding available to programs for their participation in this project.
Immunization Program Interest Form
This form is designed to help AIM understand each interested jurisdiction’s capacity and objectives for participating in the Community of Practice (CoP) to Optimize Infant Protection Against RSV. AIM will select dyads of jurisdiction immunization programs and birthing hospitals using the criteria described in the announcement guidelines.
How to Apply
- Please submit this form and any optional letters of support via email to Katy Gore at [email protected] by 8 pm ET Friday, February 27, 2026.
Your submission must include:
- This completed form
- Letter(s) of support from a specific birthing hospital (optional)
Birthing Hospital Interest Form
This interest form is designed to help AIM understand each participant’s capacity and objectives for participating in the Community of Practice (CoP) to Optimize Infant Protection Against RSV. AIM will select dyads of birthing institutions and jurisdiction-based immunization programs using the criteria described in the announcement guidelines.
How to Express Interest
- Please submit this form and any optional letters of support via email to Katy Gore at [email protected] by 8 pm ET on Friday, February 27, 2026.
Your submission must include:
- This completed form
- Letter of support from your jurisdiction’s immunization program
- Additional letters of support (e.g., from hospital leadership) are optional
What are the goals of the CoP?
Increase access to immunizations and protect newborns against RSV at the first opportunity. The CoP will do this by:
- Building partnerships between immunization programs and birthing hospital/hospital systems to support birthing hospital enrollment in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
- Providing tailored technical assistance to overcome barriers to RSV mAb administration at birth for all infants, including those who are uninsured, underinsured, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Medicaid-eligible.
- Increasing the number of birthing hospitals enrolled in the VFC program and administering RSV mAb prior to hospital discharge.
What will participants gain during the CoP?
Each paired team of a birthing hospital/hospital system and the federally funded immunization program in their jurisdiction will receive six months of strategic planning and technical support from March through August 2026.
The CoP teams will:
- Work to overcome challenges to birthing hospital/hospital system enrollment in the VFC program, operational workflows, staff training, Electronic Health Record – Immunization Information System (EHR-IIS) integration, and more.
- Collaborate to develop and/or strengthen policies which ensure access to RSV mAbs, including policies around private insurance payment, with the support of AIM facilitators.
- Participate in collaborative virtual meetings with the other CoP teams that are working toward similar goals.
- Receive technical assistance for developed goals and work plans.
- Hear lessons learned from birthing hospital/hospital systems and immunization programs that have overcome similar challenges to those being addressed by the CoP.
Who is invited to submit interest forms?
Birthing hospital/hospital systems that:
- Are not enrolled in the VFC program for inpatient immunization of newborns
- Have hospital leadership support to invest in VFC program enrollment and RSV mAb administration
- Serve publicly and privately insured patients
- Can commit to six virtual monthly meetings
- Have engaged their jurisdiction’s immunization program to commit to participation in this CoP
Immunization programs that:
- Have birthing institutions in their jurisdiction who meet the above criteria
- Have leadership support to examine jurisdiction specific policies related to VFC enrollment of birthing institutions
- Can commit to six virtual monthly meetings
- Have engaged at least one birthing hospital/hospital system to commit to participation in this CoP
Team composition
CoP participants should identify a core team of at least four (two from the immunization program and two from the birthing hospital) and up to 12 members to participate. Teams must include either the jurisdiction’s immunization program manager or the VFC manager from the immunization program plus one additional IP staff AND a pharmacy and nursing leader with decision-making authority from the birthing hospital. Team members should be individuals who can directly support the goal of enrolling in the VFC program and administering RSV mAb during the birth stay prior to hospital discharge.
Each birthing hospital team will be expected to:
- Maintain a core team of at least two members. Members should be individuals responsible for decision making who can implement the goals of participation in the VFC program and administration of RSV mAb. Birthing hospitals are welcome to have additional team members including physician champions, hospital leadership, financial managers responsible for payer contract negotiations, hospital IT, or others who can directly support the team goals of participation in the VFC program and administration of RSV mAb.
- Identify goals and develop a project plan and actionable steps to achieve those goals.
- Participate in monthly team technical assistance calls with the immunization program in their jurisdiction and AIM staff to identify progress and challenges as well as identify any emerging technical assistance needs.
- Revise project plans as necessary to accomplish the goal of enrolling in VFC during the six-month technical assistance period and preparing to administer RSV mAb during the 2026-2027 RSV season.
- Participate in group activities as planned, including two multi-team calls.
Each immunization program team will be expected to:
- Maintain a core team of at least two members. Teams must include either the jurisdiction immunization program manager or the VFC manager from the immunization program, plus one additional IP staff. Members should be individuals responsible for decision making who oversee policies related to birthing institution participation in the VFC program. Jurisdictions are welcome to have additional team members.
- Additional team members from the immunization program could include immunization information system (IIS) staff, others with a technical understanding of HL7 standards, representatives from the perinatal quality improvement collaborative, or others who can directly support the team’s goals of enrolling the birthing hospitals in the VFC program and supporting their administration of RSV mAb.
- Develop a project plan and work toward accomplishing goals and actionable steps to achieve these goals.
- Participate in monthly team technical assistance calls with AIM staff and a birthing hospital in their jurisdiction to identify progress and challenges as well as identify any emerging technical assistance needs.
- Revise project plans as necessary to accomplish the goal of enrolling the chosen birthing hospital in VFC during the 6-month technical assistance period and helping them to prepare to administer RSV mAb during the 2026-2027 RSV season.
- Participate in group activities as planned, including two multi-team calls.