Health Insurance from Aviva has today launched the "Aviva Schools CCV Catch Up Programme" in partnership with Point of Care.
- 93% of parents believe it would be a "good thing" for their daughter to receive cervical cancer vaccine.
Health Insurance from Aviva has today launched the "Aviva Schools CCV Catch Up Programme" in partnership with Point of Care. The programme will make cervical cancer vaccinations accessible to up to 150,000 girls in third to sixth year of secondary school. The scheme will bridge the gap in the Government’s National HPV Vaccination Programme, which will offer girls 12-14 years of age in first and second year of secondary school the vaccine for free.
Twenty-nine schools with over 11,000 pupils have already expressed an interest in the programme. A number of schools in Dublin, Cork, Meath and Limerick have already signed up to the programme and vaccinations will begin this month.
Aviva, with the support of Point of Care, will offer the lowest price for vaccination in the country, making it more affordable for families. Through the Catch Up Programme the price is €299 per student and applies to groups of 25 or more students. This includes the total cost of three injections of the vaccine plus medical administration over a six month period. Aviva is offering its health insurance members a further reduction of €50, reducing the price to €249.
A recent survey (May 2010) of parents with girls in second to sixth year of secondary school has shown that 93% believe it would be a "good thing" for their daughter to receive the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer while 13% said their daughter had already received it.1 Although 94% of parents were aware of the cervical cancer vaccine, more than half (51%) were not willing to pay for the vaccine, quoting price as their number one obstacle. 2
Caroline O’Reilly is principal of Eureka Secondary School, Kells, County Meath, one of the first schools to sign up to the programme. “We were getting lots of requests from concerned parents who had daughters that did not qualify for the Government’s programme. To find out more, we held a PTA meeting about the cervical cancer vaccine, which was facilitated by the Cancer Nurse Specialist at Point of Care and attended by over 100 parents. We are now one of the first schools in Ireland to offer our 400 girls from third to sixth year access to this vaccine through the Aviva Schools Catch Up Programme, which will help protect their health for the future.”
Dr. Mona Joyce, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and member of the Aviva medical council said: “Aviva continue to be innovators in the Irish healthcare industry, looking for ways to make treatments more accessible and affordable. Cervical cancer vaccination can save lives and I fully support this initiative. The Aviva Schools CCV Catch-Up Programme will make this important vaccine more widely available and affordable at a reduced price of €249 for Aviva members. School vaccination programmes are an effective method of bringing this vaccine directly to those who wish to avail of it.”
CEO of Point of Care, Jim Joyce said: “We are committed to the prevention of cervical cancer in Ireland and have been vaccinating girls of all ages for the past year through our network of partner GP clinics nationwide. Our practical experience is that while Mums want to vaccinate their daughters, to date, price has been a real barrier. The Aviva Schools CCV Catch Up Programme is an innovative initiative that will give girls who do not qualify for the National HPV Vaccination Programme, access to the vaccine at an affordable price and from the convenient location of their school. We hope parents consider this as an option and take action to protect their daughters with a vaccine that has the potential to save hundreds of lives.”
Schools interested in taking part in the programme can email Point of Care at info@pointofcare.ie or call LoCall 1890 304 305. Point of Care will also offer a monthly payment scheme over 10 months for €29.99 a month. Parents or guardians of girls who are eligible for the vaccine will be required to sign a consent form in order to avail of the treatment.
For further information on the Aviva Schools CCV Catch Up Programme or health insurance cover with Aviva, visit www.avivahelath.ie.
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For further information please contact:
Iris Cribbin
Fleishman-Hillard
01 6188439 / 087 414 2881 or iris.cribbin@fleishmaneurope.com
Julian Davis
Fleishman-Hillard
01 6188423 / 086 253 1269 or julian.davis@fleishmaneurope.com
Notes to editors:
Survey
The survey was carried out by Empathy Research online in May 2010, among members of Empathy Research’s Ideas Panel who had daughter(s) in secondary school (from second to sixth year) and was living in the Republic of Ireland. There were a total of 100 participants in the full survey.
About Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited
Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited, Ireland’s fastest growing private health insurer, is a division of Aviva Group Ireland plc, Ireland’s leading insurance company with 1.2 million customers across the general insurance, life and pensions and health insurance sectors.
Aviva Group Ireland plc is a subsidiary of Aviva plc. Aviva is one of the world’s largest savings, general insurance and investment groups with the purpose of delivering prosperity and peace of mind to its customers.
About Point of Care
Point of Care is a private healthcare company who partners with acute hospitals and GP clinics to provide specialist nursing and infusion services. Point of Care operates a growing network of modern, comfortable community based clinics across Ireland.
For thousands of people across Ireland, this means that they can receive quality infusions and vaccinations in locations closer to home, services previously only available in hospital. Our service is based on the proven and highly successful North American model of community-delivered healthcare services and is line with the Government strategies to bring patient care to the community.
1 Attitudes towards the cervical cancer vaccine, survey by Empathy Research, May 2010
2 Attitudes towards the cervical cancer vaccine, survey by Empathy Research, May 2010