Each year, influenza results in an estimated 226,000 hospital admissions and 36,000 deaths. Evidence clearly indicates that health care personnel can unintentionally expose patients to seasonal influenza when health care personnel are not immunized. Exposure to persons infected with the influenza virus can be dangerous to vulnerable patients. Reducing influenza transmission from health care personnel to patients has become a top priority both nationally and in Mississippi.

To protect the lives and welfare of patients and hospital employees, the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees recently approved a policy supporting mandatory patient safety policies that require either flu vaccination or wearing a mask in the presence of patients across health care settings during flu season. CDC continues to recommend an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older as the first and best way to protect against influenza.

MHA has collected resources for you to host a successful employee vaccination program.

Posters
Download a poster that you can use in your hopsital here. (Legal size paper, PDF) You can also size this image to use on websites, social media, etc. (MHA designed the poster and gives our members full permission to use in hospital publications.)

Toolkits and Other Resources

• HPOE: Employee Flu Immunization Campaign Kit
• Mandatory Influenza Shot Policy: Resource List
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of resources on health care worker vaccination that includes recommendations on specific vaccines, infection control guidelines, and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports.
• Prevent Influenza Now! maintains a list of online toolkits aimed at health care worker vaccination and outlines best practices for programs including influenza vaccination rates. The website is sponsored by the National Influenza Vaccine Summit, which includes the American Medical Association. 
• “Protect Your Patients. Protect Yourself” toolkit. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. offers the “Protect Your Patients. Protect Yourself” online toolkit. Resources include an immunization program checklist, sample education materials, and sample declination forms. 
• Immunization Healthcare Personnel Against Influenza, a Report on Best Practices (PDF). This report came out of a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases-sponsored roundtable discussion in 2007. Participants included the American Medical Association, CDC, and the Joint Commission. The report includes an outline of models that work and case studies of effective vaccination programs.  
• Joint Commission Flu Resources