Sixty Oklahoma hospitals recently met a challenge from the Oklahoma Hospital Association to achieve a health care worker influenza vaccination rate of 92 percent or higher during the 2013-2014 flu season.
“Influenza is associated with 36,000 deaths per year and the risk of complications from influenza is higher among the types of people who are admitted to our hospitals,” said LaWanna Halstead, vice president of quality and clinical initiatives, Oklahoma Hospital Association. “These hospitals have stepped up in ensuring that their patients are protected and a number are joining a trend of hospitals nationwide in instituting mandatory vaccination policies. Many of these hospitals actually went above and beyond the challenge and met vaccination rates well above 92 percent.”
Hospitalized patients are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of influenza because their immune systems are often compromised by the illness that caused their admission or by the treatments they are undergoing. Vaccination of health care workers (HCWs) has been shown to prevent illness and death in patients and reduce influenza and absenteeism among HCWs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended annual vaccination of HCWs since 1984.
Several key national professional organizations have endorsed mandatory policies for influenza vaccination as a condition of employment within health care facilities, including the American Hospital Association. In 2011, the Oklahoma Hospital Association board of trustees developed a position statement urging mandatory influenza policies.
Hospitals meeting the 92 percent challenge are:
- Arbuckle Memorial Hospital, Sulphur
- Atoka County Medical Center
- Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, Ada
- Claremore Indian Hospital
- Cleveland Area Hospital
- Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton
- Cordell Memorial Hospital
- Duncan Regional Hospital
- Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center, Poteau
- Elkview General Hospital, Hobart
- Fairview Regional Medical Center
- Grady Memorial Hospital, Chickasha
- Harmon Memorial Hospital, Hollis
- Hillcrest Hospital Claremore
- Hillcrest Hospital Cushing
- Hillcrest Hospital Henryetta
- Hillcrest Hospital South, Tulsa
- Hillcrest Medical Center, Tulsa
- INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, OKC
- INTEGRIS Baptist Regional Health Cntr, Miami
- INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center, Enid
- INTEGRIS Blackwell Regional Hospital
- INTEGRIS Canadian Valley Hospital, Yukon
- INTEGRIS Grove Hospital
- INTEGRIS Health Edmond
- INTEGRIS Marshall County Medical Center, Madill
- INTEGRIS Mayes County Medical Center, Pryor
- INTEGRIS Seminole Medical Center
- INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center, OKC
- Jackson County Memorial Hospital, Altus
- Lakeside Women’s Hospital, Oklahoma City
- Lawton Indian Hospital
- McAlester Regional Health Center
- Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma, Durant
- Mercy Health Love County, Marietta
- Mercy Hospital Ada
- Mercy Hospital Ardmore
- Mercy Hospital Kingfisher
- Mercy Hospital Logan County, Guthrie
- Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City
- Mercy Hospital Watonga
- Midwest Regional Medical Center, Midwest City
- Newman Memorial Hospital, Shattuck
- Norman Regional Health System
- Okeene Municipal Hospital
- Oklahoma Center for Orthopaedic and Multi
- Specialty Hospital, Oklahoma City
- Oklahoma Heart Hospital South, Oklahoma City
- Post Acute Medical Specialty Hospital of Tulsa
- Prague Community Hospital
- Select Specialty Hospital, Oklahoma City
- Sequoyah Memorial Hospital, Sallisaw
- Specialty Hospital of Midwest City
- St. Anthony Hospital, Oklahoma City
- St. Anthony Shawnee Hospital
- St. John Medical Center, Tulsa
- St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Enid
- Stillwater Medical Center
- The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital, Bethany
- Wagoner Community Hospital
- Weatherford Regional Hospital
Established in 1919, the Oklahoma Hospital Association represents more than 130 hospitals and health care entities across the state of Oklahoma. OHA’s primary objective is to promote the welfare of the public by leading and assisting its members in the provision of better health care and services for all people.