Helping Promote Influenza Immunization Among Health Care Workers
Introduction | Guidelines | Implementing | Promotional Materials | Articles / Research | Other Resources
This page will continue to be updated throughout the flu season as new materials/information are available.
Introduction 
The "Protect Yourself, Protect Your Patients" campaign goal is to increase influenza vaccination rates among health care workers in the state of Washington. The IACW has created a toolkit with tools health care organizations can use to promote influenza immunizations. The toolkit contains resources for planning your health care worker immunization efforts, ready-made promotional materials and clinical guidelines. We hope you will find this toolkit useful.
The Immunization Action Coalition of Washington (IACW) has issued a Resolution on Influenza Immunization of Health Care Workers (pdf) that is consistent with CDC recommendations. This resolution underscores the IACW's commitment to increasing immunization rates for health care workers to prevent transmission of influenza.
Guidelines
- ACIP Recommendations—Immunization of Health Care Workers (pdf)*
- ACIP Recommendations—Influenza Vaccination of Health Care Personnel (pdf)
- ACIP Recommendations—Prevention and Control of Influenza (pdf)
- Tiered use of Vaccine in event of shortage (pdf)
- Use of Antivirals*
- ACIP Adult Immunization Schedule, 2011 (pdf)
- Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings (pdf)
Implementing Your Program
- NFID Call to Action (pdf)
- NFID—Strategies to Increase Protection for Workers & Patients (pdf)
- American Nurses Association Influenza Toolkit "Bringing Immunity to Every Community" for health care providers (pdf)*
- Planning Calendar—Employee Influenza Immunization Campaigns (pdf)
- Improving Healthcare Worker Vaccination Rates (pdf)
- Declination of Influenza Vaccination Form (pdf)
- Sample Masking Requirement Policy
- Virginia Mason Story: Mandatory Influenza Vaccination (PPT)
Promotional Materials
- Patient Education
- Targeted To Health Care Workers
- General Audience
Articles and Research
- Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) Position Paper: Influenza Vaccination Should be a Condition of Employment for Healthcare Personnel, Unless Medically Contraindicated (pdf)
- American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: Recommendation for Mandatory Influenza Immunization of All Health Care Personnel (pdf)
- Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Policy on Mandatory Immunization of Health Care Workers Against Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza (pdf)
- Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Revised Position Paper: Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel (pdf)
- Dr. Schuchat's (Assistant Surgeon General and Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) 2010 National Letter to Providers re: influenza (pdf)
- Vaccinating Healthcare Workers Against Influenza to Protect the Vulnerable—Is it a Good Use of Healthcare Resources? (pdf)
- Requiring Influenza Vaccination for Healthcare Workers: Seven Truths We Must Accept (pdf)
- Employee Influenza Program: Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (pdf)
Other Toolkit Resources
- Prevent Influenza Now! Vaccinating Healthcare Workers
- Immunizing Healthcare Personnel Against Influenza: Best Practices Report
- North Carolina's Health Care Workers Influenza Initiative (pdf)
- Massachusetts' Employee Flu Immunization Campaign Kit
- APIC's Protect Your Patients. Protect Yourself. Program
- Rhode Island Immunizations Toolkit (pdf)
- New York State Department of Health - Health Care Worker Immunization Toolkits
- Maryland Healthcare Personnel Immunization Initiative (pdf)*
- WA State Hospital Association - Flu Immunization Policy Implementation Toolkit *
* New for 2010-2011 season