Immunizations

Information about Vaccines

Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Many serious diseases can be prevented with vaccines. Learn more about vaccine preventable diseases for children and adults.

Vaccine Safety

• Get answers to your questions about vaccine safety
• Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)

Ottawa County Vaccination Rates

Find vaccination rates for Ottawa County and all of the Michigan in the Michigan County Immunization Report Cards.

Vaccine Consent Forms

Use these forms when a non-parent will be bringing a child in for a vaccine appointment. Before completing these forms, please call an immunization nurse at (616) 396-5266.

• Non-Parent Consent Form & Screening Checklist (English)
• Non-Parent Consent Form & Screening Checklist (Spanish)

Requesting your vaccine record

If you received immunizations at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, complete the Request for Immunizations Records form and fax it to the number listed on the bottom of the request form. If you received immunizations in Michigan, records may be in the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR). Contact your health care provider or our department to request a search. Your legal name and date of birth are required for the search.

• Request for Immunization Records Form
• Other tips for locating your immunization records

Fees

Immunizations do not have to be expensive.  The Ottawa County Department of Public Health participates with the Vaccines for Children Program which provides free vaccines to children who have no health insurance, are on Medicaid or have insurance that does not cover any part of the cost of vaccines.  An administration fee is charged with each vaccine given.  The fee is determined on a sliding scale based on household income and number of persons in the family.  If you are concerned about the cost of immunizations for your child,  please call 396-5266 and ask to speak to an immunization nurse.  Many health insurance plans cover routine immunizations.  Please check with your insurer.  If your insurance covers the cost of immunizations, it is best to go to your physician’s office to receive them.

You may be eligible for free vaccines if you are 19 years or older and

• do not have health insurance or
• have Medicaid spend down or
• have health insurance that does not pay any part for the cost of vaccines

• Tdap
• MMR
• Shingles Vaccine
• HPV
• PCV15
• PCV20
• PPSV23

These vaccines are available based on age and/or specific health risk factors.

Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program

The VFC Program provides federally purchased vaccines for children 18 years of age and younger who are Medicaid eligible, uninsured, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or are under-insured. There are many benefits for both providers and their patients to participate in this program which include keeping children in their medical home and a link to a network of experts, can provide up-to-date information on immunizations. The Vaccines for Children Program is available to Ottawa County physician offices for children birth through 18 years of age. If you would like more information about the VFC Program, please contact the Immunization Supervisor at (616) 396-5266.

VFC Program information: www.michigan.gov/vfc

International Adoption & Travel Services

Our Travel Clinic helps you stay healthy while traveling abroad. We provide vaccinations and comprehensive travel health planning tailored to your destination. We also offer recommendations and/or required immunizations if you are traveling to the country of your adopted child, as well as health recommendations for before and after international adoption.

During your appointment at our Holland office, our staff will:

• Review your travel itinerary and medical history
• Recommend and administer appropriate vaccines based on your trip
• Counsel you on health hazards like insect-borne and water-borne illnesses
• Provide information on disease outbreaks, local healthcare, and safety alerts
• Give you a packet with all travel health information to take with you on your trip

We base our recommendations on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and Shoreland, Inc.

Learn more about travel vaccines: Vaccine Basics for Travel

Cost and Payment

Office visit fee: $100 for the first person and $150 maximum per family attending the same travel visit (covers the appointment and counseling).

Vaccines: Billed separately based on the vaccines you need. Prices are available in the Vaccine Prices section above.

Payment is due at time of service.

Insurance note: Travel vaccines are generally not covered by insurance. We will provide a detailed statement you can submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement.

What to Bring to Your Appointment

• Travel itinerary with dates and destinations
• Previous immunization records
• List of current medications
• Insurance card

To Schedule Your Appointment

Call (616) 396-5266 or request an appointment here. We recommend calling 4-6 weeks before your departure date.

Non-Medical Vaccine Exemption (Waiver) Information

Since 1978, Michigan state law has required children to be up to date with required vaccines on or before the first day of school or a licensed childcare program.

A child who is not up to date with required vaccines will not be allowed to attend school or childcare without a vaccine exemption (also called a waiver).

Two Types of Exemptions (Waivers):

The two types work differently, and they are handled by different people.

• Medical exemption. For a medical reason, such as an allergy. Your child’s doctor (MD or DO) completes and signs it on the official state form. The health department cannot provide one.
• Non-medical exemption. For a religious or other objection. The parent or guardian completes the required education and signs the form at the local health department. Important: Both the vaccine requirements for school and childcare and the education required before a non-medical exemption can be signed are set by Michigan state law, not by Ottawa County. They apply in every Michigan county. The health department’s role is to give you options for completing the state’s education requirement and to sign the exemption form.

Medical Exemptions

A medical exemption is a signed statement from your child’s doctor (MD or DO) that your child cannot receive a certain vaccine for a specific medical reason, such as an allergy to the vaccine or one of its ingredients.

• Discuss it with your child’s doctor.
• The doctor completes and signs the official State of Michigan Medical Contraindication Form and sets how long it lasts, based on the medical reason.
• Regular doctor’s notes, or signatures from healthcare providers that are not an MD or DO, cannot be accepted.
• The health department cannot provide medical exemptions.

Important: Children with medical exemptions may still be briefly required to stay home from school or childcare during an outbreak of that disease. This is because they are at risk of getting or spreading the disease no matter what the reason for their exemption is.

Non-Medical Exemptions

About the Education Requirement: What to Know

• This education is required by the State of Michigan, not by Ottawa County. State rule requires it before a non-medical exemption can be signed, and it applies in every Michigan county. The health department’s role is to offer you ways to complete it.
• You choose how to complete it, online or in person, and you can switch at any time. Both options meet the same state requirement. If you start online and would rather finish in person, just schedule an in-person appointment.
• This education informs your decision. It does not ask you to change your beliefs. Michigan requires it so every parent making this choice has accurate information about the benefits of vaccination and the risks of not vaccinating. We hope you will consider it carefully. The decision remains yours.
• You are asked to review the information, not to agree with it. The questions are not scored. No matter what answers you choose, you can still get the exemption signed after completing the course. The questions are there to help you think through the information presented.

Michigan state law requires a new non-medical exemption at these times:

• Before starting childcare or preschool
• Before starting kindergarten
• Before starting 7th grade
• If the child has completed some, but not all, of the required vaccine series since the last exemption was signed
• When changing to a school outside the district for which the exemption was first signed

Note: If your child is currently getting some vaccines but medically needs to wait for the next dose (dose waiting period), you do not need an exemption. Bring your vaccine record showing the dates of vaccines already given.

Two Ways to Complete the Education

Both options meet the same state requirement. Choose the one that works best for you, and you can switch at any time.

Online education, then a signing appointment

• Complete the education at https://ottawa.miwaiv.com
• Includes information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases
• Work at your own pace and save your progress
• Get a certificate when you finish (this is not the official exemption; you still come in to sign)
• Schedule your signing appointment: call (616) 396-5266 or request an appointment
• Sign the official exemption form in person at your appointment

You must finish the online education before scheduling your signature appointment. Walk-ins are not available. Your in-person visit is shorter because you come in only to sign.

If you start the online education, and decide you’d rather do the education in person, simply schedule an in-person education and signature visit (see below).

In-person education and signing in one visit

• Complete the education and sign the form together in a single visit
• Call (616) 396-5266 or request an appointment
• The appointment usually takes less than 30 minutes
• There is no cost for the visit

You can complete a non-medical exemption appointment at any local health department. For an appointment at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, call (616) 396-5266 or request an appointment.

You do not need to bring your child to the appointment, but you will need to bring:

• Picture ID, and guardianship papers if you are a foster parent
• Official vaccine record from a medical provider or health department if the child has not received vaccines in Michigan

After OCDPH staff share the information that Michigan state law requires (or confirm you completed the education online), staff fill out and sign the exemption form online in the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR), and the parent or guardian signs the form online. You can request a copy.

Either way: You can ask questions at your appointment. Your child can get vaccines at any time if you change your mind.

About the form: A non-medical exemption uses the official State of Michigan Nonmedical Exemption Form, now completed electronically on a computer or tablet. It cannot be signed by your child’s doctor or provided by the school or childcare program. By law, only the local health department can certify it, so the form is signed through the health department after you complete the required education.