Texas Children’s Hospital will
offer flu vaccine to all members of the medical staff this year.
A mailing will go out in early October asking medical staff members
to notify Medical Staff Services
of their immunization. This is based on a new Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to ensure that all health
care providers either receive a flu shot or actively decline.
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness
caused by influenza viruses. There is no doubt that unvaccinated
health care workers can either introduce influenza into a facility
or propagate an outbreak.
The use of standard precautions and hand
hygiene, although expected, is not enough to prevent the spread of
this illness.
Influenza vaccination is the primary
method for preventing influenza and its complication.
Historically, approximately 50 percent of
all Texas Children’s employees accept and receive annual flu
vaccine. In an effort to increase employee participation, the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
developed a standard in response to recommendations by the CDC to
make the reduction of influenza transmission from health care
professionals to patients a top priority in the United States. The
new Joint Commission standard requires organizations to:
-
Establish an annual influenza
vaccination program that includes at least staff and licensed
independent practitioners who have patient contact;
-
Provide access to influenza vaccinations
on-site;
-
Educate staff and licensed independent
practitioners about the flu vaccination and non-vaccination control
measures;
-
Annually evaluate vaccination rates and
reasons for non-participation in the organization’s immunization
program; and
-
Implement enhancements to the program to
increase participation.
Pharmacy believes that Texas Children’s
is in a good position to obtain a sufficient supply of flu vaccine
to offer influenza vaccine to 100 percent of its medical staff and
all employees, including independent practitioners and volunteers
who have direct patient contact.
To ensure that all eligible staff have
an opportunity to receive the vaccine, either a signed consent form
or a declination form will be required. Employee Health will partner
with leadership staff to assure that all employees, in their
respective areas of responsibility, respond to the hospital’s
initiative and JCAHO standard to protect patients by choosing to
receive flu vaccine when available.
To vaccinate certain groups of people in
a timely manner and to meet the usual patterns of shipment,
influenza vaccine will be offered to TCH employees in three phases:
|
Phase |
Employee Group |
Approximate Dates |
|
I |
Hospital - Direct Patient Care
Providers
(i.e., physicians, nurses, PCAs |
Oct 15 - Nov 15 |
|
II |
Ambulatory Care and Allied
Health Care Providers |
Nov 15 - Dec 15 |
|
III |
All Others |
After Dec 15 |
The phases will begin and end based on shipment of the vaccine and
will be modified accordingly. Vaccine will be administered in
Employee Health and on the auxiliary bridge on specific dates during
each phase. Leadership staff should encourage their employees to
watch for future announcements of specific vaccine dates, which will
be communicated through Dialogue! NewsFlash and Check It Out.
At the end of each phase, Employee
Health will provide leadership staff, in their respective cost
centers, a list of those employees who have not had an opportunity
to choose or decline flu vaccine.
Active participation of staff can
increase and thereby protect our patients, and decrease flu related
absenteeism and potential staff shortages. Your cooperation is
appreciated.
