Pursuant to and in furtherance of the purposes of this chapter, the State Board of Health is authorized to create and maintain an immunization registry. The immunization registry is the central collection of data and reports concerning a vaccine dose or doses administered to a person by a provider. The nature of the immunization information contained in this registry shall be determined by rule of the State Board of Health and shall be obtained from clinic records, billing data and information, and vital or any other records owned and controlled by the State Board of Health and the Alabama Medicaid Agency. Medical insurers and public and private providers are authorized and encouraged to provide information to the registry.