The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Des Plaines, Ill.-based Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) are leading an effort to provide additional influenza vaccine to Cook County public health outlets.
The CAP, along with the ENA, is asking all their employees who don’t fall in the high risk categories set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to forgo their company provided vaccinations so that the vaccine can be saved for high risk patients.
“We believe it is important to set a positive example for other organizations and the general public by answering the CDC’s call to allocate flu vaccine only to those people most at risk,” said Nicki Norris, Executive Vice President of the CAP. “We are proud of our employees who are contributing to this effort.”
David Westman, Executive Director of ENA, stated, “Every year emergency department nurses nationwide are on the forefront of treating patients ravaged by the effects of the flu. ENA employees hope that our contribution of vaccines will at least in part mitigate what could be a crisis in the Chicagoland area.”
Both the CAP and the ENA had contracted with vaccine suppliers to provide their employees with company sponsored vaccinations before the vaccine shortage was announced. Following that announcement, the decision was made to purchase the vaccine, inoculate only high-risk employees and immediate family members who may otherwise have difficulty obtaining the vaccine and then donate the remaining doses.
“While we recognize that the limited number of doses we donate can not solve the problem, we hope that any organizations like ours who are lucky enough to have access to vaccine will use it responsibly,” said Ms. Norris. “When a low-cost vaccination can be the difference between life and death for a high-risk patient, we believe everyone, and medical associations in particular, have an obligation to pitch in.”
The CDC has identified the following high-risk categories: -- all children aged 6-23 months; -- adults aged 65 years and older; -- persons aged 2-64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions; -- all women who will be pregnant during the influenza season; -- residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities; -- children aged 6 months-18 years on chronic aspirin therapy; -- health-care workers involved in direct patient care; and out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children aged 6 months or younger.
In addition to donating vaccine, both the CAP and the ENA are also asking all employers to share the latest CDC guidelines with their employees in hopes of limiting the number of low-risk people seeking vaccinations.
“The best hope we have of ensuring an adequate supply of vaccine is for people to be educated about their risks and then choose not be vaccinated if they don’t fall into a high-risk category,” said Ms. Norris. “Employers, even those who don’t or can’t offer flu shots as a benefit, are in a unique position to communicate this vital message to their employees.”
To get a PDF copy of the CDC guidelines for posting or distributing to employees, companies can go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldget.htm .
The College of American Pathologists and the Emergency Nurses Association will be donating their vaccine to a Cook County public health agency or hospital.
For more information about this initiative, contact Anthony Phipps at (847) 832-7574 or tphipps@cap.org or Tarsis Lopez at (312) 751-3617 or lopezt@fleishman.com .
Reporters can also contact Diane Simpson-Bundy or Patti Flesher at (847) 832-7438 or by e-mail at pfds@cap.org .
About the College of American Pathologists
The College of American Pathologists is a medical society serving nearly 16,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the world. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of pathologists and is widely recognized as the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The CAP is an advocate for high quality and cost-effective patient care. About the Emergency Nurses AssociationThe Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is the only professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing and emergency care through advocacy, expertise, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA serves as the voice of more than 25,000 members and their patients through research, publications, professional development, injury prevention, and patient education. Additional information is available at ENA’s Web site, at http://www.ena.org/ .
College of American Pathologists
CONTACT: information, Anthony Phipps, +1-847-832-7574, tphipps@cap.org ,or Tarsis Lopez, +1-312-751-3617, lopezt@fleishman.com , or media, DianeSimpson-Bundy or Patti Flesher, +1-847-832-7438, pfds@cap.org , all forCollege of American Pathologists
Web site: http://www.cap.org/http://www.ena.org/