FRANKLIN, Ind. (AP) — A statewide database is helping nurses keep track of students who need vaccinations before the new school year begins in Indiana.

The state’s Children and Hoosier Immunization Registry Program has been used in the past by state and county health departments. But its effectiveness was limited because only a handful of health care providers used the database.

The (Franklin) Daily Journal reports that a new state law went into effect last month requiring all of the state’s hospitals, medical offices and health departments to use the database for all vaccination records.

Nurses previously were responsible for ensuring students were up to date on vaccinations and contacting the parents of students who needed shots.

Now school officials can use the database to determine what shots student need.