Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel — United States, 2017–18 Influenza Season | MMWR

Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel — United States, 2017–18 Influenza Season | MMWR

Flu vaccination matters for health professionals

Cherokee hospital acheives 96% flu vaccination rate for staff

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all health care workers and staff at health care and long-term care facilities get flu vaccines to protect themselves and patients. Even so, just 78.4% of health care personnel got the flu vaccine during the 2017-18 flu season.

Cherokee Nation's W.W. Hastings Hospital, however, is proving that dedicated staff can achieve much higher rates. The hospital was recently recognized by the Oklahoma Hospital Association for its 96% flu vaccination rate.

"The level of care and compassion that our staff shows certainly shines through in recognitions like this one from the Oklahoma Hospital Association, and we look forward to what these vaccinations rates will mean for the care of all patients who visit our facility during the flu season," said W.W. Hastings Hospital CEO Brian Hail.

The hospital's employee health nurse, Randi Duncan, makes it her personal mission to get vaccines to as many employees as possible. Duncan said it takes a multi-disciplinary team to plan for the flu season, including the pharmacy, infectious disease personnel, nursing, billing, and more. Then it takes persistence.

"My strategy is to make myself available at many varied times and days to ensure that everyone has a chance to get their vaccine. I always joke that employees can't hide from me," Duncan said. "I host employee-only flu clinics and I use my cart, commonly referred to as the 'cart of pain,' to deliver flu vaccines to the employees in their departments as a convenience. I know that it can be difficult to leave their patients or work stations, so I try to go to them as much as possible."

In addition, the hospital offers incentives. All employees who get their flu vaccines by the end of October are entered into drawings for prizes.

But, said Duncan, "the real reason we have such a high vaccination rate is because we have the best health services staff. We do not have a policy that requires our employees to get the flu vaccine, but they realize how important flu vaccination is to patient safety."

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), September 28, 2018, Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel – United States, 2017-18 Influenza Season