At the 2025 NAPNAP National Conference on Pediatric Health Care in Chicago, Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for Vaccinate Your Family and clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook University, emphasized the critical need to address vaccine hesitancy and ensure children are caught up on immunizations.

Catching up on missed vaccinations

"We know that there's a lot of children behind related to the pandemic and hesitancy on the parents' side, and we can't fault the parents. The parents just are looking for good information for their children," Koslap-Petraco explained. She advised healthcare providers to use electronic medical records (EMRs) and other tracking tools to ensure patients return for their immunizations.

The rise in measles outbreaks across the United States further underscores the importance of timely vaccinations, stated Koslap-Petraco.

"If you're in a neighborhood where there are outbreaks of measles, you would certainly want to consider giving children 6 months of age a measles vaccine, but also telling the parent that the child is going to need 2 more doses separated by at least 28 days once the child turns 12 months of age," she said.

COVID-19 and new vaccines

Koslap-Petraco acknowledged the complexities of the COVID-19 vaccine schedule but reassured providers that resources are available to help navigate the requirements.

"COVID vaccine can be very confusing and challenging for providers, but there's really excellent tools available. Immunize.org has excellent tools available, if you can't find things anywhere else, that you can pull up to make sure that you're giving the right formulation, the right dose, and the right number of doses to the various age groups."

She also highlighted a newly approved 5-valent meningococcal vaccine, though its inclusion in the immunization schedule has been delayed because of the cancellation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting. "Until it is [included], the insurance companies don't pay for the vaccines," she noted.

Building trust with parents

Koslap-Petraco stressed the importance of respectful, empathetic communication with parents who are hesitant about vaccines.

"Be that trusted individual that our patients and their families can come to, and we can give them good information in a conversational way, without being belittling and accepting of that parent's questions, and really giving them the confidence to vaccinate their children."

She recommended a warm and understanding approach: "Greet the parent, be kind, acknowledge their concerns. My big thing is always smile at them so that they know that you genuinely care about them."

She also shared a personal strategy for building trust.

"I always ask, may I have your permission to tell you what I know about this vaccine and why I think it's good for your child? And I also tell them that either I'm vaccinated myself or my grandchildren are vaccinated, which also increases their confidence in the vaccine."

Conclusion

Koslap-Petraco encouraged healthcare providers to engage in open, informative conversations with parents, emphasizing the shared goal of keeping children safe and healthy.

"I really want to give this vaccine today, so I know your child is protected," she concluded. Her message reinforced the importance of education, trust, and proactive vaccination efforts to safeguard public health.

Koslap-Petraco addressed several other areas of vaccination and immunization in pediatric care. Contemporary Pediatrics will have more videos published related to COVID-19, influenza, and measles.

More on NAPNAP

There are several more important and timely sessions taking place at the 2025 NAPNAP conference. Be sure to visit ContemporaryPediatrics.com for regular updates and continued coverage from Chicago.

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