Cooper’s employee influenza (flu) vaccination program began on Monday, September 17, 2018.
All employees must adhere to the flu vaccination policy by December 5, 2018, or by an earlier date if required by Infection Control. Inpatients will begin receiving flu vaccinations on September 24, 2018, as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The full policy, along with a schedule of vaccination dates, is available on the Pulse.
Highlights of the vaccination policy include:
- All Cooper employees are required to get an annual flu vaccination or sign a declination statement.
- Purple ID badge stickers will be given to employees who receive the flu vaccination. Yellow ID badge stickers will be given to employees who sign a declination statement.
- Employees who opt out of vaccination are required to wear a surgical mask while in clinical areas to prevent the spread of the virus.
- Employees who receive the vaccination at a private physician office or a public clinic must submit proof of immunization to Employee Health to receive a purple sticker.
- Employees who are on a leave of absence will receive a letter at home with instructions to either visit Employee Health for a flu vaccination before returning to work, or provide proof that they received their flu vaccine elsewhere.
- Employees and managers are able view and manage flu compliance in Lawson through Employee and Manager Self Service. Additionally, managers will be able to view flu vaccine compliance status of their entire staff. For employee instructions, click here. For manager instructions, click here.
This year, Cooper will administer the quadrivalent flu vaccine. This is a newer intramuscular vaccine that provides protection against four different strains of flu virus, including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. This vaccine is expected to provide better protection for our employees and patients. The vaccine is just as safe as the trivalent vaccine we have administered in previous years, which only protected against three different flu strains.
Employees will receive a notification once the official start of flu season has been declared.
If you have questions or concerns about the policy, please contact Infection Prevention at 856.342.2254.
For questions regarding the flu vaccination schedule, please page Employee Health at 856.205.3032 or 856.205.3176, dial your full telephone number after the beep, and hang up. An Employee Health nurse will return your call.
We look forward to your full compliance as we work together to protect our staff and patients from the transmission of flu.