Immunization & Vaccines

Watch the video story about our COVID-19 Community Resilience Mural
(Click or tap the image below.)

New York State Funded Vaccine Programs at TCWH

Tompkins County offers New York State funded vaccines at our immunization clinics for eligible children and adults. At TCWH, we provide vaccines required for school as well as those recommended by the CDC. If you have a Primary Care Provider (PCP), contact them first for your immunization needs.

Vaccines for Children (VFC)

The VFC program offers state funded vaccines to eligible children less than 19 years of age. Your children may be eligible for VFC if they:

• Are currently enrolled in Medicaid
• Have Child Health Plus
• Are under insured: your insurance does not cover the vaccine
• Do not have insurance
• Are Native American or Alaska Native

Recommended schedule for all children birth through age 18

Vaccine for Adults (VFA)

The VFA program offers state funded vaccines to eligible adults ages 19 and over. You may be eligible for VFA if you:

• Are under insured: your insurance does not cover the vaccine
• Do not have insurance
• Are enrolled in college (MMR only)

College students of any age are eligible to receive the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine through the VFA program, regardless of insurance status.

Recommended schedule for all adults

 
Immunization Clinics at TCWH

We serve community members with no insurance, or with Medicaid or a Medicaid managed care plan. (You do not have to be a Tompkins County resident.)

• Fridays 9:00 AM–12:00 PM; 1:00 PM–4:00 PM  
• For appointments and information, call Community Health Services at 607-274-6604.
• Immunization records: You will need to provide a copy of your and/or your child's immunization record in advance of your appointment. Please also bring the records with you to your appointment.

Note: If you have a primary care provider or pediatrician, please contact them to make an appointment for immunizations. If you have insurance but no primary care provider we will help you connect with a health care provider. Call 607-274-6604.

Vaccines available at TCWH immunization clinics*

• for children
• for adults
• not available at TCWH

 
For children (ages 0-19): 

• DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis)
• HiB
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• HPV
• Influenza
• Meningococcal
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
• Moderna Covid vaccine
• Polio
• Pneumococcal
• Td
• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis)
• Varicella

 
For adults (ages 19 and up): 

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• HPV (Human papillomavirus)
• Influenza (Quadrivalent and High Dose)
• Jynneos (Mpox vaccine)
• Meningococcal
• MMR  (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
• Moderna Covid vaccine
• Polio
• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis)

*Vaccine availability is subject to change. Please call CHS at 607-274-6604 for the most updated information on vaccine availability.

 
Vaccines NOT available at TCWH Clinics

• Rotavirus (for children)
• Shingles (for adults)
• Adult Pneumococcal vaccine
• RSV vaccine (adults and children)
• Travel vaccines (cholera, yellow fever, typhoid)
• Meningococcal Serogroup B vaccine
• Varicella for adults

Homebound residents

TCWH offers in-home Covid and flu vaccinations to Tompkins County residents who are considered homebound. This means that you require the use of a walker or wheelchair to leave your home, your health condition may worsen if you leave your home, it is difficult for you to leave your home and you usually do not leave your home. Please call 607-274-6604 to register for this service.

Mobile clinics

TCWH offers mobile flu clinics during the start of flu season, usually in the month of October. If your organization is interested in hosting a flu clinic and has at least 10 people who want to be vaccinated, please call 607-274-6604 to speak with a nurse manager to organize this. Planning for mobile flu clinics usually starts in July or August.

Travel Vaccines

Travel Clinics provide travel vaccines, malaria prevention, travelers’ diarrhea prevention and management, among other services for travelers. Following are local travel clinics. Visit their websites for all services provided.

• Travel Medicine. Michael Niziol, MD, Board Certified in Medicine and Surgery, Dryden, NY. 607-844-8201
   
• Cayuga Health Travel Clinic. Physician on staff is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine & Infectious Diseases. Contact: Cayuga Medical Center, 607-274-4011; Schuyler Hospital, 607-210-1950; Cayuga Medical Associates.

Outside of Tompkins County

• Passport Health, Passport Health Travel Clinics throughout the U.S. Clinics locally in Syracuse, Rochester, and Geneva. 855-729-2479.

Immunization Updates for the 2024-25 School Year

Many children need to receive vaccines during the summer to stay up-to-date and comply with school vaccination requirements. 

Current NYS School Immunization Regulations

Please review the following schedules before school starts.

• 2024-25 School Year, New York State Immunization Requirements for School Entrance/Attendance (PDF)
• All kids entering 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th grade must have the meningococcal vaccine. Without it, they cannot start school.
• School children are now mandated to be immunized with a complete series of all required vaccines — or be in the process of doing so — in order to attend classes. Under the current definition of “in process,” children who are not fully immunized can only continue to attend school or pre-K if they are in the process of completing their immunization according to the ACIP catch-up schedule. If children are following other immunization schedules that do not meet the intervals specified by the ACIP catch-up schedule, then they are no longer considered to be “in process” and must be excluded from school, if not otherwise exempt.

Be Wise, Immunize

 
The Campaign to ImmuNYze all New Yorkers is an initiative of the County Health Officials of New York (NYSACHO), bringing together patients, parents, providers and campaign partners. Our goal: to heighten awareness of the need to immunize throughout life — from infancy through senior years — by offering reliable, science-based information on vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases.

For more information, visit the Campaign to ImmuNYze web site, or download brochures here: “Be Wise, Immunize!” and “Don’t Wait, Vaccinate!”