In Action:
Latest News & Activities
We are all about action here at the Meningitis B Action Project. Below you can read all about all our latest initiatives and activities to increase awareness of Meningitis B and the vaccine available to help prevent it. Want to get involved? Contact us at info@meningitisbactionproject.org.
New Article Feature: Meningococcal Disease in Preteens, Teens & Young Adults
Patti and Alicia shared their experience with Meningitis B with fellow parents in a recent publication on healthychildren.org from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
This piece is a great resource to share with parents as a one-stop shop on how to protect against meningococcal disease.
New Podcast Episode: Meningitis Stories and Advocacy with Patti and Alicia
March 28, 2023
Co-founders, Patti and Alicia, were recently guests on the Ambiguously Blind podcast where they discussed their experience with meningitis advocacy in honor and memory of each of their daughters – Kimberly Coffey and Emily Stillman – who both lost their life to Meningitis B before the MenB vaccine was available in the U.S. to help protect them.
Helping to Ensure Adolescents are Protected Against Meningitis B
March 21, 2023
The work of the Meningitis B Action Project and Kimberly Coffey’s story were shared recently in a piece published by Contemporary Pediatrics to emphasize the role pediatric and adolescent practitioners play in the prevention of meningococcal meningitis.
Promoting Adolescent Health at SAHM 2023
March 7-10, 2023
We traveled to Chicago to attend the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) annual meeting. We had the opportunity to educate many people working to improve the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults about meningococcal disease and how it can be prevented.
Meningitis B Action Project Dinner Club Launched in Salt Lake City, Utah!
January 26, 2023
We believe the best conversations happen over a delicious meal! That’s why we’ve launched the Meningitis B Action Project Dinner Club. The Dinner Club is designed to encourage an open discussion about barriers to meningococcal meningitis prevention and how we can work together to overcome those challenges.
Our first stop was Salt Lake City, Utah! Not only did we have the privilege to hear and discuss with leading advocates in the space, but we left with tangible insights on how to best tailor our advocacy and education work in Utah. Thank you to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Utah Public Health Association, BYU Nursing School, Utah Health Policy Project, Utah Adult Immunization Coalition, Utah County Immunization Coalition, Association for Utah Community Health, and Utah Medical Association. Next up, Massachusetts!
Meningitis B College Tour Kicked Off in California
October 11, 2022
We kicked off our Meningitis B College Tour at the University of California, Riverside Health Center where we had the chance to connect with health center staff and students to highlight why Meningitis B prevention is especially important on college campuses!
Educating and Exhibiting for MenB Prevention
October 2022
This month we had the opportunity to exhibit and present our work at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting to help make sure all pediatricians are talking to their patients about the Meningitis B vaccine!
Later this month, we were at the New England College Health Association annual meeting held in Newport, Rhode Island, and had the opportunity to share our new MenB educational curriculum with college health professionals in New England!
Responding to the Current MenC Outbreak and MenB Cluster in Florida:
A Policy-Focused Educational Webinar
June 28, 2022
The Meningitis B Action Project recently partnered with The AIDS Institute to host a policy-focused educational webinar on meningococcal meningitis in response to the current MenC outbreak and MenB cluster in Florida. The webinar targeted policymakers and HCPs to emphasize the urgency of more education among affected communities, including Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM), and the short- and long-term value of meningococcal meningitis vaccination requirements for both MenACWY and MenB to control and prevent future outbreaks. It featured a medical overview, personal stories, and a policy case study from the Indiana Immunization Coalition.
Listen here and please contact us if you’d like to host a similar webinar in your state.
DOWNLOAD a Meningitis educational brochure developed for Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Meningococcal Vaccination Algorithm for Providers Now Available
June 2, 2022
Recent studies have shown that the current ACIP recommendations for meningitis vaccinations are not always fully understood or applied consistently by healthcare providers. For that reason, the Meningitis B Action Project has developed an easy-to-reference algorithm to facilitate meningococcal vaccination in clinical practice.
This resource was developed by the Meningitis B Action Project. All information included has been reviewed by the Meningitis B Action Project medical council.
Helping to Protect the Modern Teen: A Panel Discussion
May 12, 2022
As a mother who lost her daughter, Kimberly, to Meningitis B, Patti was honored to share Kim’s story at the Ask2BSure MAMARAZZI Event with The MOMS and Soleil Moon Frye in Hollywood.
Patti was joined by fellow panelists to highlight the importance of ensuring teens are protected and prepared throughout their teenage years.
During this event, Patti was able to emphasize the importance of talking to your teen’s health care provider about both types of meningitis vaccines — MenACWY and MenB — with hundreds of mothers from across the country.
To learn more about how to protect your teen, watch the full event here.
Philadelphia Immunization Coalition: Spring 2022 Conference
May 11, 2022
To help get patients back on track with routine vaccinations we shared the importance of preventing Meningitis B in young adults as well as some of our newly created resources including our Meningitis B Student Hub and Meningitis Algorithm with 120+ attendees at the Spring 2022 Philadelphia Immunization Coalition.
Meningitis B Student Hub: Now Live!
February 9, 2022
Our new online educational resource designed by and for students to help prevent the spread of Meningitis B on college campuses is now available!
The new Meningitis B Student Hub was specifically designed for peer health educators and students with simple key messages to help explain the disease, educational materials for download, sample presentations and even inspirational podcasts from other peer health educators across the country. It also includes ideas for activating a Meningitis B education campaign on campus and suggestions for engaging student health centers and college administrators to advocate for better Meningitis B prevention measures on campus.
College students are 5+ times more likely to contract Meningitis B than non-college students[i] – making it particularly important for students to be informed about how to help prevent Meningitis B infection
View the hub here: https://meningitisbactionproject.org/forcolleges
World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2021: Highlighting the importance of preventing infection
November 18-24, 2021
We partnered with the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease to highlight the importance of preventing infection in support of World Antibiotic Awareness Week.
In the case of meningococcal bacteria a great way to prevent infection, sepsis, and the threat of antimicrobial resistance is to receive both types of meningitis vaccines.
Ask2BSure
A Public Health Awareness Campaign
Fall 2021
GSK launched Ask2BSure to encourage parents to talk with their child’s healthcare provider to be sure they have received their Meningitis B vaccination. GSK has pledged to donate $1 for every unique view of the campaign video (up to $10,000) to the Meningitis B Action Project!
National Association of School Nurses
Lunch & Learn
September 30, 2021
Today we had the opportunity to speak to the National Association of School Nurses along with Alex Singer from VaxTeen on improving adolescent vaccination rates - including #MeningitisB!
School nurses are our front line to reaching students and their parents, and making sure they have the resources and insights to do so is incredibly important.
Back-to-School 2021: Media Tour
August 23, 2021
To promote the importance of adolescent immunizations, Dr. Tamera Coyne-Beasley, Endowed Chair, Adolescent Medicine – University of Alabama Birmingham, joined us to speak with 28 television and radio stations. We were able to reach 5 million+ people across the country and counting. Check out this short video highlighting some of our interviews.
MenB Action Project on AANP Podcast:
NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®
August 11, 2021
Nurse practitioners Audrey Stevenson and our medical council member, Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, spoke with Patti and Alicia to discuss all things #MeningitisB on the official podcast of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners: NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®.
They covered everything from strategies to support shared-decision making in clinical practice to the power of sharing personal anecdotes to support young adults and their parents in opting for the #MenB vaccine.
Available here https://www.aanp.org/podcast and on all other podcast platforms. You can also listen directly by clicking play below.
Our Latest Initiative: Families Against
COVID-19
May 11, 2021
After each losing our daughters to Meningitis B, a vaccine-preventable disease, we know very well why vaccination is so critical. Although the MenB vaccine is available today, it wasn’t yet available to protect Kim and Emily when they passed away. Today, we all have a chance to protect ourselves, our families and our communities from COVID-19 by getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
That is why we’ve joined together with other families to leave no stone unturned when it comes to educating communities about COVID-19 prevention and the COVID-19 vaccine. To help us do that, we’ve launched a new joint initiative called Families Against COVID-19.
World Meningitis Day 2021: Radio Media Tour
April 24, 2021
Patti and Alicia began World Meningitis Day by speaking with 25 radio stations throughout the country to share why Meningitis B vaccination is so important with over 44.3 million people!
The Meningitis B Action Project also facilitated their 3rd Annual Day of Action Against Meningitis B on World Meningitis Day. Together, with their B-team, they were able to accomplish advocacy actions in 26 states to help increase awareness of Meningitis B and how it can be prevented.
We also partnered with 10 organizations to carry out a social media channel takeover which enabled us to educate and reach new audiences!
A Campaign to Get Needles in College Students Arms
March 24, 2021
We spoke with The Chronicle of Higher Education to highlight the importance of colleges and universities requiring the Meningitis B vaccine on campus to protect students–especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MAP Featured in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Newsletter
March 9, 2021
Patti and Alicia were interviewed by the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and shared their stories and strategies to help parents ensure their children are as protected as possible from meningococcal disease. Their interview was included in their March Edition of their Parents PACK newsletter that reaches over 43,000 parents!
Check out the interview here.
New Video Alert:
#BestFriendGoals
October 13, 2020
Check out the latest video from the Meningitis B Action Project!
This one goes out to all the best friends out there! Have a friend with kids 16-23? Take Patti and Alicia’s advice and tell them to talk to their doctor or nurse about the Meningitis B vaccine.
Provider Survey to Understand How The MenB Vaccine is Used in Clinical Practice
August 12, 2020
The Meningitis B Action Project surveyed 524 healthcare providers in the United States to understand barriers to discussing and recommending the MenB vaccine and communication strategies used, and to assess provider understanding of current ACIP recommendations.
We know that healthcare providers are not consistently discussing the Meningitis B vaccine with their patients. We explored why.
You can read the press release announcing the results here, and the full results by clicking below.
Getting Candid with Glamour Magazine
July 20, 2020
Two moms, two daughters, one message. Patti and Alicia sat down with Glamour magazine to share their stories, unique friendship, and journey together to prevent Meningitis B.
Ensuring Students are Vaccinated
May 29, 2020
Vaccinations have dropped by as much as 80% as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Colleges should be concerned that fewer students may be returning to college with their vaccines completed on schedule – leaving students and campuses vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases such as meningitis, measles or mumps.
We recognize the incredible work colleges and universities are currently doing to determine how to open campuses safely and appropriately for students. It is our position that comprehensive immunizations policies are an integral part of that discussion and it is an essential time to review immunization requirements to ensure the health and wellness of students.
We are reaching out to colleges across the US to encourage them to review and revise their institution’s immunization requirements to ensure that students are fully vaccinated against critical vaccine-preventable diseases affecting young adults.
You can get involved too by reaching out in your own communities. Click here to learn more.
World Meningitis Day 2020
April 24, 2020
We developed two series of educational graphics to help spread awareness of Meningitis B for World Meningitis Day. Visit our educational graphics page to see them all. You can view, download and share them to your social feed to increase MenB awareness!
Face The Facts Series
They Should Be Here Series
Grand Rounds Presentation at Children's Hospital of Michigan
February 14, 2020
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to share information about Meningitis B prevention to a group of healthcare providers, residents, and medical students at the Children's Hospital of Michigan on February 14th!
Live from the American Public Health Association Meeting
(APHA 2019, Philadelphia)
November 6, 2019
Fall is a busy time of year for us and we were honored to have the opportunity to exhibit at the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia, PA. This is the first time we exhibited to a public health audience and we were able to make many new connections to help us extend our reach among public health professionals.
Our latest video, Why Take the Chance, was selected to be screened at the APHA Film Festival!
MenB Vaccination in Clinical Practice Survey
October 24, 2019
Nearly 50% of pediatricians are not talking to their patients about the Meningitis B vaccine. We wanted (and needed!) to better understand why this is to support our future education and advocacy initiatives.
This survey is currently closed.
Live at Largest Pediatrics Conference in the World (AAP 2019, New Orleans)
October 26, 2019
From October 26-28, we participated in the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
We had the opportunity to talk to pediatricians from all over the country, a very important audience given that a recent study found that nearly 50% of pediatricians are not talking to their young patient about Meningitis B.
We also ran into some familiar faces: Dr. Paul Offit and Dr. Gary Marshall from our medical council!
Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Vaccinology and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Dr. Gary Marshall, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Louisville School of Medicine
MenB Vaccination
Learning Module
by Medscape
September 26, 2019
**Important NEW #MeningitisB Resource for Health Providers**
We recently worked with Medscape to contribute our stories to one of their latest (and very much needed!) Continuing Education courses - "Case-by-Case: Preventing MenB Disease in Adolescents and Young Adults."The module, developed by one of the members of our Medical Council, Dr. Gary Marshall, includes two cases to help providers better understand and apply current Meningitis B vaccination recommendations.
Partnership with College Health TV
July 25, 2019
Starting next week, our educational videos about Meningitis B will be shown across 200 universities in 30 states through our new partner College Health TV.
College Health TV is the digital voice that speaks to students delivering an educational and entertaining streaming channel located at Colleges and Universities across the U.S. College Health TV’s campus network helps students make smart decisions with engaging, evidence-based and student-focused health video content covering a wide variety of subjects adjusted to resonate in the daily lives of college students.
National Association of School Nurses Conference
June 28, 2019
100+ school nurses signed up to improve awareness of Meningitis B vaccination in their schools during the 2019 National Association of School Nurses Conference in Denver, Colorado. Thank you for your support!
Next Stop: Wayne State University
June 18, 2019
Every day is a new day to tell one more person about Meningitis B and the vaccine available to help prevent it!
Our latest stop... Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Our co-founder Alicia Stillman was there yesterday to speak to pharmacy students about Meningitis B prevention as part of their class on vaccine-preventable diseases.
Meningitis B Action Project in Capitol Hill
June 12, 2019
Our co-founder Patti Wukovits had the honor of being invited by Vaccinate Your Family to film a video on Capitol Hill about Kimberly and Meningitis B and also had the opportunity to speak with Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to discuss the importance of a stronger and clearer vaccine recommendation for Meningitis B.
Other advocates shared their personal stories of vaccine-preventable diseases: flu, pertussis, and measles.
Meet Our Medical Council
June 10, 2019
We are excited to announce our Meningitis B Action Project medical council. Our medical council is made up of leading physicians and healthcare professionals at the forefront of meningococcal disease research, education, policy and advocacy. The Council provides support to the Meningitis B Action Project through medical counsel and review.
Members include:
Dr. Paul Offit: Dr. Paul Offit is Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Vaccinology and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Dr. Gary Marshall: Dr. Gary Marshall is a Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Dr. Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, DNP: Dr. Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco is a nurse practitioner in private practice, a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University School of Nursing and a nurse consultant for the Immunization Action Coalition.
Dr. Nathan Boonstra: Dr. Nathan Boonstra is a General Pediatrician at the Blank Children’s Pediatric Clinic in Des Moines Iowa.
June 2019: Meningitis B Awareness Month in New York State
June 10, 2019
June 2019 has officially been recognized as Meningitis B Awareness month in New York State. Thank you to NY Senator Gustavo Rivera and to NY Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther for introducing the resolution. Throughout the month, we will be working to increase awareness of Meningitis B and the vaccine available to help prevent it among all New Yorkers.
It was during this month in 2012 that Kimberly Coffey, our co-founder’s Patti Wukovits’ 17-year-old daughter, passed away from Meningitis B one week before her high school graduation.
Live at the American College Health Association Meeting
May 29-31, 2019
Last year at the American College Health Association meeting, there was little buzz about Meningitis B. Many we talked to didn't know about the vaccine or felt that a mandate was unlikely on their campus.
What a difference a year makes.
This year, we heard from many schools who are either planning to require MenB vaccination in the Fall 2019 semester or are now seriously considering it. Plus, we had 70 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES sign up to conduct a Meningitis B awareness campaign on campus!
Thank you for all of you working with us to make this progress possible!
Presentation at East Islip High School
May 14-15, 2019
This week we had the opportunity to tell 300+ 10th graders at East Islip High School in Long Island, New York about Meningitis B. Over and over again, we heard..."I had no idea that there were two vaccines...I never heard of MenB."
You can read some of their reactions here. A good reminder for why we all do what we do.... and why we are just getting started.
NY State Vaccine Exemption Policy
May 6, 2019
Our co-founder Patti Wukovits was in the New York State capital today with Dr. Joseph Sellers, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Senator Brad Hoylman to advocate for medical exemptions as the only permissible exemption (vs. religious and philosophical exemptions) for New York's vaccination requirement. Vaccine exemptions have become a significant issue following what is now the worst measles outbreak in the last two decades, with NY state leading in the number of cases.
Read more here
Partnership with Patient Point
April 24, 2019
As our action for Day of Action Against Meningitis B, we are excited to announce that starting today, we will be able to deliver MenB education to 3,000+ primary care waiting rooms across the country through a new partnership with PatientPoint!
Read more and watch some of the segments below.
Day of Action Against MenB
April 24, 2019
On April 24, World Meningitis Day, the B-team created a wave of MenB awareness actions across the United States by committing to complete AT LEAST one action against MenB in every single state in the United States.
Together, we reached over 1 million people across all 50 states with one very important message - it takes two vaccines to be fully immunized against meningococcal disease - MenACWY and MenB.
Read our press release and view the compilation video below.
Meningitis B Action Project on Ladies’ Room with Dr. Donnica Podcast
April 23, 2019
WE'RE IN A PODCAST!
Thank you B-teamer Dr. Donnica Moore for sharing our story in this week's episode of In the Ladies' Room with Dr. Donnica tp help us spread the word on MeningitisB on this Day of Action Against MenB.
Live at National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)
March 8, 2019
Working hard at the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) conference today! Nurse practitioners are superheroes 🦸♀️ and incredibly important in our fight to increase MeningitisB vaccination rates.
U.S. House of Representatives Resolution for World Meningitis Day
April 24, 2018
On World Meningitis Day (April 24), and during World Immunization Week, we, along with our partners and supporters, remembered the lives of our daughters and the countless other lives lost to, or affected by meningitis, and raised our voices to ensure no other parent or family needlessly suffers the same fate.
To mark the big week, we had an incredible opportunity to join U.S. Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN) and Congressman Mike Bishop (MI) in Washington D.C. to introduce a Resolution to the U.S. House of Representatives that would designate April 24th as National Meningitis B Awareness Day in the United States.
While in Washington D.C., we met with 40+ policymakers to share a letter of support signed by meningitis and vaccination advocates from around the world with a simple ask: to ask for their support in raising awareness of Meningitis B and ensuring broader access to the vaccine available to help prevent it.
Click here to read the full letter.
You can also watch the resolution reading here, and related press conference here.
