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More massachusetts hospitals vaccinating workers but regulators saynumbers are still too low by wwy yrj
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More massachusetts hospitals vaccinating workers but regulators saynumbers are still too low by WWY YRJ
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| Article Posted: 10/24/2012 |
| Article Views: 60 |
| Articles Written: 1412 - MORE ARTICLES FROM THIS AUTHOR |
| Word Count: 455 |
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More massachusetts hospitals vaccinating workers but regulators saynumbers are still too low |
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Business,Business News,Business Opportunities
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By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff Roughly 81 percent of employees at the state s acute carehospitals received flu vaccinations during the most recent season,according to a report released Wednesday by Massachusetts publichealth regulators. The percentages increased from a statewide average of about 71percent during the previous season, but is still not close to theminimum level of 90 percent regulators had hoped for, spurringrenewed debate about mandating vaccines for hospital workers at ameeting of the Public Health Council, an appointed panel ofdoctors, consumer advocates, and professors. Of particular concern to council members is the seeminglyintractable percentages of hospitals workers who continue todecline a flu shot. The latest numbers show that about 18 percent of workers in acutecare hospitals rejected a vaccination, down just two percent fromthe previous seasons 20 percent.
Current state rules require hospital workers to be vaccinated orsign a form declining the shot. The rules allow for medical andreligious exemptions. The council last fall decided not to make vaccination mandatory atacute care hospitals, and instead approved a resolution thatsupports hospitals that are on their own requiring theimmunizations as a condition of employment. Council members said at that time that higher vaccination rates areneeded to keep hospital employees from spreading the flu topatients and to ensure a large number of caregivers don t fall illamid a flu outbreak.
They said they would track the issue and revisit it in the spring. Since that meeting, a number of hospitals have adopted policiesmandating vaccinations and several others are considering it, saidDr. Alan Woodward, past president of the Massachusetts MedicalSociety and a council member who has championed aggressivevaccination action. Iyah Romm, director of policy, health planning, and strategicdevelopment at the state health department, said that while nearly84 percent of hospitals met the minimum benchmark of vaccinating atleast 73 percent of its workers, the department feels strong actionis still needed against stragglers.
We are sending a rather stern communication making it clear thatthe department does not feel [these low levels] are acceptable, Romm said. He said the department also plans to encourage better performanceby publicizing the names of hospitals that boost their vaccinationrates as well as those who are doing a poor job. Council members agreed to again hold off on mandating flu shots forhospital workers, but agreed to boost the minimum benchmarkvaccination rate each hospital should achieve to 83 percent, whichis two percentage points higher than the current statewide meanrate. Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com.
Follow her on Twitter@GlobeKayLazar. I am a professional writer from Chemical Projects, which contains a great deal of information about oven mitt silicone , red oven mitts, welcome to visit!
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