Many Bay Area hospitals have established a protocol in which employees can either receive a flu shot or wear a protective mask during the flu season. Many hospitals chose to enforce the policy after a Mercury News analysis found nearly one-third of employees at many hospitals in the Bay Area did not receive a vaccination during the 2010-2011 flu season.
Employees who have received a vaccination shot are identified with stickers on their badges. The hospitals also set up stations with hand sanitizers and face masks for patients and made employee masks available at facility entrances.
Three hospitals mentioned in the report have experienced significant gains in their vaccination rates.
• O’Connor Hospital in San Jose reported an employee vaccination rate of 76 percent last year, but that figure has since jumped to 95 percent under a mandate.
• Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch reported a 67 percent vaccination rate two years ago, but that’s jumped to 95 percent since.
• The vaccination rate for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland and Berkeley rocketed from 54 percent two years ago to 85 percent this year, according to the report.
More Articles on Hospitals and Flu Vaccines:
Hospital Employees Who Decline Flu Shots Risk Losing Jobs
CDC: Flu Rate Continues to Rise, With Nearly Half of Cases in Older Patients
Flu Outbreak 2013: How Are Hospitals Coping?
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