NEW HAVEN, CT - The Hospital of Saint Raphael is the first hospital in the state to require that all employees get influenza vaccinations to protect patients and other employees when flu season arrives. Employees must show proof of vaccination or submit documentation for a medical exemption by Dec. 1, 2011, or they will not be allowed to work.
According to the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, healthcare organizations with 100 percent staff vaccination rates can cut patient death rates from flu by 40 percent. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is currently considering a requirement that hospitals report worker flu-vaccination rates as part of its Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program.
Last flu season more than 90 percent of Saint Raphael’s employees were vaccinated after an intensive campaign to promote the measure as a way to protect patients and staff.
“Saint Raphael’s is proud to be on the cutting edge of a national movement to encourage vaccination in healthcare settings,” said John Boyce, M.D., Hospital Epidemiologist at the Hospital of Saint Raphael. “This simple preventative measure by employees has been proven to save lives in hospitals across the country.”
Professional organizations including the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American College of Physicians, American Lung Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all healthcare workers receive the flu vaccination as a patient and employee safety imperative.
To find out more about flu prevention, visit the Saint Raphael’s website at www.srhs.org/flufacts.
