Colorado Coalition of Travel Health Professionals (CCTHP)
Meeting Minutes – April 19, 2013
Hosted by: Mistie Nguyen, PharmD, Porter Adventist Hospital – Apothecare Pharmacy & Porter
Travel Health Clinic
Location: Porter Adventist Hospital
Present: Kathryn Springer, Janet Ballantyne, Peggy Hamilton, Helen Lanzer, Ray Levesque, Julie
Lohre, Mette Riis, Mistie Nguyen, Steven Tran (pharmacy student), Jamie Reesman, Christi Jele,
Michelle Reesman, Dree Boblick, Missy Smith, Mary Hill, Marianne Byron, Christy Harmon, Kristi
Mehok, Jane Lee Choe
On phone: Pat Perry (Rio Grande County), Debbie Roberge (Colorado School of Mines), Alison
Christopher (Eagle County)
Facilitator: Julie Lohre
MEETING:
9:30 – Welcome and introductions
9:35-10:20 -- Speaker: Jane Lee Choe, MPH, International Travel Medicine – Vaccines Intercell
USA gave an excellent presentation titled: “Before They Visit: Help Travelers to Japanese
Encephalitis-endemic countries in Asia to Travel Smarter” This presentation addressed
common concerns travel health providers must consider when clients will be in a JE endemic
areas, and included evidence-based solutions for vaccine indications, dosing and boosting. Jane
also offered to be a resource for providers with unusual traveler scenarios. Attached are: 1) Dr.
Fischer’s JE presentation to the ACIP in February, 2013 , 2) the General Recommendations for
shortening vaccine intervals (grace period), 3) the package insert for Ixiaro that shows % of
seroconversion after 1st & 2nd dose, 4) map of JE endemic countries, 5) newly published
checklist for travelers to JE risk areas and 6) Jane’s contact info.
10:35 – 10:50: Pharmacy-run Travel Health Clinics: Mistie Nguyen (Porter), Christy Harmon,
(Safeway), Kristi Mihok (Walgreens): each pharmacist shared their background training in travel health
and immunization. Christy from Safeway described the Pharmacy-based Immunization Delivery,
National Certificate Program for Pharmacists that is now required in every PharmD program. Porter,
Walgreens and Safeway participate in the Colorado Immunization Information System, send copies of
the consults to the patient’s primary care doctors, have their pharmacists complete the CDC Yellow
Fever Vaccination course, have detailed information available for travelers. Both Safeway and
Walgreens are hoping to expand into areas of Colorado that don’t have travel health services available.
11:00 – Business Meeting
Minutes from January 17, 2013 approved
New Business:
Grant update: Julie L. reported that the grant task force team had successfully accomplished
the grant goals for the 1st quarter: summarized/discussed the survey results with the
membership, legally registered CCTHP as an “entity name” with the Colorado Secretary of State
office per the Colorado Revised Statute 7-90-602, completed an informal survey of accountants
about what type of organizational structure best suits the Coalition: the unanimous
recommendation: non-profit. Next Steps for the grant: research: how to establish a non-profit
organization.
Website update: Kathryn Springer demonstrated the new website:
www.cotravelcoalition.com. The membership present was very excited about the website
format. Pat Perry asked where she could post a question for advice from other members who
may have more experience. Kathryn explained that under the ‘Posts’ tab, at the bottom of the
page, there is a ‘Leave a Reply box’. When members post questions there, she can then place
the question on the website for feedback from the membership. She will try this for the next
quarter to see how it works. If members post a lot of questions, this method may not be
manageable by a single web administrator (Kathryn). There was also a request for posting
talks and the resource list on the website. This was also one of the goals of for the website and
will be done when possible.
Membership Update: Julie stated that the membership emails and roster have been reviewed,
collated and updated. Current membership consists of travel medicine providers from 9
counties (rural & metro areas), 5 university-based student health centers, 2 large pharmacy
groups and numerous private practitioners & groups. (This last category includes clinics seeing
the largest numbers of travelers in the state.) Total membership is now around 65 and
growing! Julie encouraged members to add their information on the website under the
Contacts tab. Cheryl Kuebrich will check the contact area and update the roster/email list
accordingly.
New Resource List Manager: After 4 years of managing the Resource List, Sherrie Goorley has
decided to step down. Thank you Sherrie for starting and maintaining this list!! Mette Riis
volunteered manage the CCTHP Resource List. Thanks, Mette!
Meeting Host schedule decided through next summer:
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July: Safeway-Christy Harmon-possible topic: “Travel vaccines in development”
October: Tricounty-Ray Levesque-topic to be determined (TBD)
January: Denver Health-Mette Riis-Pediatric travel medicine
April: Broomfield-Helene Lanzer-possible topic: Yellow Fever
July: Passport Health-Jamie Reesman with Walgreens-Kristi Mehok-topic TBD
Next meeting – 3rd week of July from 9:30 to 11:30
11:55 Meeting adjourned
Respectfully submitted, Julie Lohre and Mistie Nguyen