HOISINGTON — Flu Season is upon us and the best way to prevent the flu is through annual flu immunization. In 2010, the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative started a four-year campaign to increase the number of hospital health care workers receiving annual influenza immunizations as a part of the effort to decrease health care associated infections.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that health care workers have a role in the fight against flu, with immunization of workers linked to improved patient outcomes and reduced flu infection. Studies show the flu can cause up to 48,000 deaths in the United States in a given year and the CDC for many years has recommended an annual influenza immunization for health care workers. The influenza immunization of health care professionals is critical in eliminating the transmission and outbreaks of the virus in the health care setting.

Locally, Clara Barton Hospital reports that more than 86% of our health care personnel including medical staff, direct and indirect patient care staff members received a flu immunization during the 2010-11 flu season. The statewide rate for seasonal flu immunization for 2010-11, based on a survey where 100 percent of Kansas hospitals participated, was 78 percent; well above the national average that hovers around 62 percent during a typical year. In Kansas, 48 percent of hospitals increased their flu rate over the previous reported year.

While Clara Barton Hospital’s rate for healthcare workers is above the national and state average, we recognize there is still room for improvement. Our goal is to increase our seasonal influenza immunization rate to 100% by 2014. This goal is consistent with the provider-led statewide project sponsored by the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative.

Founded in 2008 by the Kansas Medical Society and Kansas Hospital Association, the mission of the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative is to transform health care through patient-centered initiatives that improve quality, safety and value.

For more information about Clara Barton Hospital and our influenza immunization efforts, please contact Jennifer Mickle, RN, Infection Control & Employee Health Nurse at Clara Barton Hospital.