Suffolk Pediatric, PC Earns HPV Vaccination Honor Roll Award

Press release from SBU:

Aug. 29, 2022

Dr. Dávid Sanchez and Suffolk Pediatric, PC was recognized with the HPV Vaccination Honor Roll Award for achieving the largest percentage increase in HPV vaccination on Long Island. This Central Islip based pediatrics practice was the only practice in Suffolk County to achieve this honor.

With at least 30 percent of adolescents in New York not vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the New York State (NYS) HPV Coalition, the NYS Department of Health, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene united to develop an annual awards program to recognize health systems across the state that have excelled at increasing HPV vaccination rates in youth.

Yirezelif Fuerte, LPN spearheads HPV vaccination efforts at Suffolk Pediatric, PC and shared their best practices. “We rely heavily on early education starting at 9-year-old well checks where our Medical Director, Dávid Sanchez MD, and the other providers at the practice have a conversation with parents to educate them on the importance of HPV vaccination.” By beginning this conversation early, most parents consent for their children to receive the HPV vaccine by their 11-year-old well check, as per Fuerte. The HPV vaccine, which prevents six types of cancer, is recommended for children of all genders at ages 11-12 and is safe beginning at age 9. For parents that are hesitant about vaccination, Suffolk Pediatric, PC offers a patient portal with additional education, as well as pamphlets with more information in the office.

About 14 million people, including teens, become infected with the HPV each year and an estimated 85 percent of people will get HPV during their lives. While most HPV infections go away on their own, there is no way to know if an infection will lead to cancer. HPV infection can cause six different types of cancer: cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and throat cancers. According to the American Cancer Society and the National HPV Roundtable, this 2-shot vaccine series is most effective when administered to children starting at age nine and has the potential to help prevent more than 34,000 cases of cancer caused by HPV each year.

To increase HPV vaccination efforts locally, Stony Brook Cancer Center was awarded the Cancer Prevention in Action (CPiA) grant to promote cancer prevention initiatives on Long Island. Through this grant, Stony Brook Cancer Center is on the forefront of HPV cancer prevention and vaccine education in our community. To learn more about this project and the HPV vaccine, visit takeactionagainstcancer.com

CPiA is supported with funds from Health Research, Inc. and New York State.

This press release was produced by SBU. The views expressed here are the author's own.