All hospices can learn from NY agencies
Make plans for possible mandated vaccinations
Pay close attention to New York as health care organizations there put processes in place to meet the new state regulation that mandates flu vaccinations for all patient-contact employees. The reason? Mandated flu vaccinations might be coming to your state next.
"There certainly appears to be a rising tide to mandate the vaccination for influenza," says Gayle Lovato, RN, MS, CIC, an infection preventionist at Inova Health System in Leesburg, VA, and a member of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Communications Committee. Professional organizations in some areas and employee unions in other areas are promoting the issue, Lovato says. "APIC has issued a statement urging health care institutions themselves to require annual vaccines for all employees with direct patient care," she adds "I think it may be more feasible to mandate this for the seasonal flu vaccine, which varies slightly from year to year, than it may be for novel viruses such as H1N1," Lovato says.
Throughout the country, many health care organizations have offered flu vaccinations to employees, but more health care systems are starting to mandate flu vaccinations as a condition of employment. In California, the State Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently adopted a regulation that starting in September 2010, all health care organizations must offer the flu vaccine to all employees at no cost, says Maryellen Rota, director of strategy and business development at Sutter VNA & Hospice in Emeryville, CA. Not only does the regulation give employers a year to prepare, but Sutter VNA & Hospice will have no problem meeting the requirement because the agency has offered the flu vaccine at no cost to employees for several years, she says.
"Almost 70%, or 900, of our employees were vaccinated for seasonal flu last year," Rota reports. "We always encourage staff to get the flu shot and have already started vaccinating staff."
Sutter VNA advertises the clinics to staff through e-mails, posters, and the weekly CEO Update newsletter. [See posters and fliers: Sutter VNA & Hospice; H1N1 & Seasonal flu, Vaccination Myth Busters, Take 3 Steps to Fight the Flu, Cover Your Cough ] "We're looking at even more avenues to educate staff this year, such as our web site, intranet site, newsletters, badge info, Facebook, Twitter feeds, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] "widgets" placed on the agency web site, and fact sheets," she says.
The benefits of a mandatory seasonal flu vaccination, in addition to protecting patients, include fewer absences among health care workers, says Barbara B. Citarella, RN, BSN, MS, CHCE, president and CEO of RBC Limited, a home care consulting firm in Staatsburg, NY. Not only will it reduce the number of employees who cannot work due to their own illness, it will also reduce the risk of exposure to the employees' families, which also can result in employee absences, she explains.
Hospice managers should stay in touch with state health departments and review CDC information (www.flu.gov) to be prepared for mandatory influenza vaccinations, suggests Citarella.
Even with the challenges and costs inherent with a mandatory vaccination program for employees, the concept is good, says Lovato. "When you realize that in a regular flu season, the nation sees around 36,000 deaths, and less than 50% of health care workers accept the vaccination,1 it really comes down to a patient safety issue."
Reference
1. Fiore AE, Shay DK, Haber P, et al. Prevention and control of influenza. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 2008; 57(RR7):1-59.
Need More Information?
For more information about influenza vaccination programs, contact:
Gayle Lovato, RN, MS, CIC, Infection Preventionist, Inova Health System, 440425 Riverside Parkway, Leesburg, VA 20176. Telephone: (703) 858-6630. Fax: (703) 858-8893. E-mail: [email protected].
Maryellen Rota, Director Strategy and Business Development, Sutter VNA & Hospice, 1900 Powell St., Suite 300, Emeryville, CA 94608. Telephone: (510) 450-8598. Fax: (510) 923-1814. E-mail: [email protected].
To see a free copy of The Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology recommendations for influenza immunization, go to www.apic.org. Select "Guidelines and Standards" from top navigational bar, and choose "Healthcare Workers and Infection Prevention" on the left side of the page. Select "NEW APIC Position on Influenza Immunization of Healthcare Personnel."
Pay close attention to New York as health care organizations there put processes in place to meet the new state regulation that mandates flu vaccinations for all patient-contact employees. The reason? Mandated flu vaccinations might be coming to your state next.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content