Page 21 - Christiana Care Focus December 2018

Planning for success
Planning for the event began in February 2018, when numerous Christiana Care departments — led by Infection Prevention, Emergency Management and Employee Health — met to determine whether the organization could compress its annual flu vaccination campaign into a single day. Logistical planning for the #HitMeWithYourFluShot event began in earnest in June.
In past years, Christiana Care has held the voluntary employee flu vaccination campaign over several weeks in October and has succeeded in routinely vaccinating more than 90 percent of its
Bworkforce.
ut there was a dual purpose to executing the event this year within a 24-hour period. Emergency Management designed the event so it could double as a drill to ascertain how effective the organization would be at
| Extraordinary People
Flu vaccination has important benefits, as it can reduce flu-related illnesses, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school, as well as prevent hospitalizations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year that 80,000 people died from the flu during the previous flu season, 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.
Leading by example
“As one of the nation's leading health systems, we had an opportu- nity through this event to lead by example and show our neighbors in our community how much importance we place on getting a flu shot,” Dr. Drees said. “Although our weeks-long events of the past were successful, we as caregivers are committed to seeking new knowledge and being open to change, and this ambitious endeavor was a way for us to take a significant first step this flu season to
vaccinating all its employees if a real emergency should occur.
“We aspired through this exercise to glean critical information and data on what resources would be required for a major incident, such as a bioterrorism attack” said Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Durst. “It was an opportunity for us to use our resources wisely and effectively, and demonstrate our commitment to being curious and to continuously look for ways to innovate.”
The event also ensured that Christiana Care staff had a convenient way to get vaccinated before the flu season peaked, said Marci Drees, M.D., MS, FACP, DTMH, infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist.
Pkeeping our workforce, their families, and our patients protected.”
laying off the popular Pat Benatar song, External Affairs christened the event #HitMeWithYourFluShot and photographed employees from a variety of departments, posing with flexed arms and bright-green bandages
on their biceps where the flu shot is administered. The resulting promotional campaign featured bigger-than-life-size cutouts and screensavers of nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, constables and patient care techs. It also featured caregivers from Admitting, External Affairs, Environmental Services, Information Technology and two senior vice presidents, Chief People Officer Neil Jasani, M.D., MBA, FACEP and Chief
Medical Officer, Acute Care, Kert Anzilotti, M.D., MBA.
C O N T I N U E D
261
Miles traveled by roving vaccination teams to administer and drop off
flu shots
FOCUS • DECEMBER 2018 19