The CDC called me yesterday...

The CDC called me yesterday – what they wanted to know may shock you

Shepard Ambellas
Intellihub

At 9:52 p.m. CST I received a call from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). It was a recorded message, a survey. They wanted to know how many people, including children resided in my household and how many of them were vaccinated.

So this morning I decided to call the number back and see who was on the other end. A woman answered who was trying to gain more personal information from me to see if I was “eligible”.

I then explained to the woman that I was sleeping when I missed the call and asked if she could email me information on the survey.

The email which I received from the CDC Nation Immunization Survey reads as follows:

Thank you for your interest in the National Immunization Survey (NIS). As you requested, a letter that describes the purpose of this study and why we are calling your household can be found here: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nis/NIS_advance_letter.pdf

In summary, the NIS is used to call households across our nation screening for immunization data and other health care information regarding children. These data are used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to:

• Estimate accurate early childhood immunization coverage levels in every state and across the nation;
• Assist states in developing immunization intervention programs for pre-school age children to eliminate preventable childhood diseases; and
• Help local, state, and federal health authorities understand how to improve health care services for all children.

If you are interested in additional information, you can visit www.cdc.gov/nis.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please call us toll free at 877-267-8154.
We appreciate your interest and will contact you shortly to participate in this important survey.

NORC at the University of Chicago
Chicago, IL 60602

The letter sent from the CDC/Department of Health and Human Services and transcript of the recorded call reads…

From the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics:

I am asking for your help with an important study conducted by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) called the National Immunization Survey (NIS).

This survey tells us which vaccines people in the U.S. have received and about other important health topics.

Results from the NIS are used to help health officials in their efforts to improve health care programs. In the next few weeks, NORC at the University of Chicago will call your household to take part in this study for CDC.

For this study, we need to ask about vaccinations and about children’s health. Some households also may be asked questions about the health services their children need or use.

If you have a child between 17 and 37 months of age, it would be helpful to have your child’s immunization records handy when answering our questions.

However, you can also answer these questions without the records. Your phone number was chosen randomly by computer. It is important for us to interview every household we call to get a complete picture of your area’s immunization rates and key factors that might affect them.

The study is important,but you do not have to take part, or you can decide not to answer one or more questions.

You may call this toll free number at 1-877-267-8154 if you would like to take part in the study now. You can also call this number to learn more about the study and what you will be asked.

For more information,turn this letter over or go to the study’s web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nis.htm.

Your answers to the NIS will provide information to help improve the nation’s health now and in the years ahead.

We need your help to make this study a success.

We hope you will decide to take part when we call.

Thank you for your cooperation. I am grateful for your help.

Sincerely,

Charles J. Rothwell
Acting Director, National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention