Vaccines for Children Program Celebrates 30 Years of Protecting Children

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, established in 1994, has been crucial in protecting U.S. children from life-threatening diseases by providing free vaccinations to eligible groups, including those who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, or American Indian/Alaska Native.

 

Over the past 30 years, the program has helped prevent 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations, and saved over 1.1 million lives. Notably, almost 90% of VFC-eligible children received the MMR vaccine, reflecting high coverage. However, there is a need for greater emphasis on increasing vaccination rates for other recommended vaccines, as coverage remains lower among VFC-eligible children compared to their non-eligible peers. Read more in CC’s Vital Signs here.