Fun event will take organization’s already stellar vaccination rate to the next level, protecting patients, staff and community from flu.

WHAT: In a single day, Thursday, Oct. 11, Christiana Care Health System in Delaware will attempt to vaccinate almost all of its nearly 12,000 employees in the most ambitious employee flu-vaccination campaign in the organization’s history—a feat that has seldom been attempted by an organization of this size.

The event is being called #HitMeWithYourFluShot, and it will include fun activities at Christiana Hospital and Wilmington Hospital that will help to create an exciting atmosphere and make this year’s employee flu vaccination campaign something fun to be a part of. Christiana Care already stands out among health systems in the U.S. with an annual voluntary employee flu vaccination rate of more than 90 percent.

Flu vaccination stations will be active throughout the day at Christiana Hospital and Wilmington Hospital, and a mobile team will deliver flu vaccines to all of Christiana Care’s satellite locations throughout Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. In addition to fun events planned at the hospitals, where the largest number of employees will receive their flu shots throughout the day, employees will be encouraged to share their flu-shot photos through social media using the hashtag #HitMeWithYourFluShot.

WHY: Flu vaccination has important benefits. It can reduce flu illnesses, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Just last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 80,000 people died from the flu last year. It was the worst flu season in the United States since 1976. In recent years, the number of flu-related deaths averaged between 12,000 and 56,000.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 11 from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.

SPECIAL EVENTS:
Christiana Hospital
11 a.m. to 1 pm. - WJBR-FM will be on-site with live remote interviews, a mascot and photo booth.

Wilmington Hospital
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Wilmington Blue Rocks mascot Rocky Bluewinkle 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - PAWS for People Therapy Dogs

Journalists who would like to cover the #HitMeWithYourFluShot event should contact Christiana Care’s Senior Manager of Media Relations Hiran Ratnayake at (302) 327-3327 or hratnayake@christianacare.org.

About Christiana Care Health System
Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, and continually ranked by US News & World Report as a Best Hospital, Christiana Care is one of the country’s largest academic health systems, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. Christiana Care includes an extensive network of outpatient services, home health care, medical aid units, two hospitals (1,227 beds), a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in cardiology, cancer and women’s health. With our unique, data-powered care coordination service and a focus on population health and value-based care, Christiana Care is shaping the future of health care. Learn how we deliver greater quality and value at https://christianacare.org.

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