• Health care workers, especially, who are not immunized against influenza and other diseases may unknowingly spread vaccine-preventable diseases to the patients in their care.
• Studies show that when health care workers are immunized, they are not only protecting themselves, but preventing morbidity and mortality from influenza among their patients. Additionally, there is evidence that preventing influenza reduces patient hospitalizations and death from heart, chronic lung and kidney disease, as well as from diabetes.
• Healthy People 2020 objectives include a 90 percent coverage rate for health care worker influenza vaccination by 2020. A successful vaccination campaign can increase employee vaccination uptake, but facilities implementing mandatory programs often see significantly improved rates among employees, even as high as 99 percent coverage.

Sample policy—Texas Hospital Association  

Sample Vaccine Preventable Diseases Policy 

Sample Vaccination Acknowledgement and Exemption Form Request 

Sample Request for Medical Exemption from Vaccine Preventable Disease Policy 

Sample Request for Religious Exemption from Vaccine Preventable Disease Policy 

Sample Request for Conscientious Objection from Vaccine Preventable Diseases Policy 

Developing Mandatory Influenza Vaccination Program Toolkit — The Colorado Hospital Association’s toolkit includes sample declination forms and education materials, and tools for tracking compliance.

Providing a Safer Environment for Health Care Personnel and Patients through Influenza Vaccination: Strategies from Research and Practice. The monograph by the Joint Commission, along with other national groups, includes information on successful strategies for immunization programs, and examples of successful initiatives.

Register your practice to become an authorized ImmTrac provider. 

• Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices makes recommendations specific to immunization of health-care personnel.
• American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mandatory influenza vaccination policies.
• American Academy of Family Physicians supports mandatory influenza immunization for health care personnel.
• Infectious Diseases Society of America supports universal immunization of health care workers against influenza.