Both the state and individual institutions have a role to play when it comes to vaccination and vaccination policies. At the state level, health policies should adopt relevant federal vaccination policies and create additional policies that are tailored to the health needs of that particular state (Bradford & Johnson, 2021). The state should assess federal policy and adopt provisions that support the health needs of its people because each state has different health needs. Second, it should be the role of the state to create mandates and requirements toward the vaccination of school-going children and students (Fraser & Neuss, 2022). For instance, states should create mandates for the vaccination of K-12 learners and college students. They should also create provisions that govern the vaccination exemption process; this will ensure that residents and healthcare providers have a guide that they can follow to determine who cannot be vaccinated. Third, the state should also ensure that providers and patients can access safe vaccines; they should fund vaccine programs and address matters to do with insurance and coverage for immunizations. This will ensure that people access vaccinations when they need them and that the immunization process is not costly. In addition, states should promote health equity by addressing barriers to healthcare access (Bradford & Johnson, 2021). This can be done through vaccination programs, awareness campaigns, and prioritizing vaccination for marginalized populations. Lastly, states should respond to infectious disease outbreaks by coordinating public health campaigns. Institutions should focus on implementing state guidelines. They should create staff vaccination mandates for their workers to protect vulnerable patients from infections (Fernandes et al., 2022). They should also educate patients about the vaccinations that are needed as well as the benefits and risks of vaccines. Institutions should further create protocols for handling patients who refuse vaccines and track vaccination rates as a way to indicate their commitment to safe and quality care. Lastly, they should focus on promoting patient safety and providing quality care through training and educating their staff and providing needed resources (Fernandes et al., 2022).
