Vaccines for Children program marks 30 years of low-cost vaccines

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flu and COVID-19 season begins, Austin Public Health is highlighting the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program , offering low to no-cost vaccines for children in need.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention launched the program in 1994 after a nationwide measles outbreak.

“You can see the success in that program, because in 2000, approximately a decade later, measles was deemed eradicated in the United States,” said Chris Crookham, acting assistant director of the Austin Epidemiology and Public Health Preparedness Division.

In 2023, VFC helped provide 74 million vaccine doses across the country. Crookham told KXAN that APH serves 15,000 to 20,000 children per year through the program.

VFC offers all of the CDC-recommended vaccines, and the vaccines that state law requires for attending school. They also provide vaccinations against seasonal illnesses.

“It is respiratory season, so we do highly recommend that everyone get vaccinated and protected against COVID-19, flu and RSV,” Crookham said.

Children ages 18 and under qualify for the program if they meet any of these conditions:

• Uninsured
• Medicaid-eligible or Medicaid-enrolled
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Underinsured

While health care providers are not allowed to charge for the vaccine itself, they can charge administration fees for other services during an office visit.

“The vaccines are free,” Crookham said. “We do charge a fee, but here at Austin Public Health, we do not refuse services if you’re unable to pay.”

More details on what vaccines are offered and how to schedule an immunization appointment with APH are available on its website. Over 80 other providers in the Austin-Travis County area also offer vaccinations through the VFC Program.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.