FROM THE FOUNDATION

All Over the Map

Newly updated to include breast cancer, prostate cancer, and spine procedures, this CHCF-sponsored research shows that practice patterns vary dramatically from place to place.

Medi-Cal Transforms

Medi-Cal is the main source of health insurance for one in five Californians. An updated report gives an overview of the program's key features, describes how the program is evolving, and examines the challenges ahead.

Obama Care in the Second Term

CHCF is a long-time sponsor of the UC Irvine Forecast Conference. A webcast of this year's conference on health policy in President Obama's second term is now available.

Special Reports

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

California Health Care Workers Divided Over Flu Vaccine Requirements for Hospital Staff

In a California Healthline Special Report by Kenny Goldberg, experts discussed whether hospital workers should be required to obtain vaccines for influenza.

Some physicians and hospital officials say that all health care staff should receive the flu vaccine to prevent transmission to patients. However, groups like the California Nurses Association say that hospital workers should have the right to make their own decision about whether to obtain the vaccine.

The Special Report includes comments from:

  • Zenei Cortez, co-president of the California Nurses Association;
  • Jan Emerson-Shea, vice president of the California Hospital Association;
  • Shawn Evans, an emergency department physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla; and
  • Linda Good, director of employee health for the Scripps Health system (Goldberg, California Healthline, 1/9).

The complete transcript of this Special Report is available as a PDF.

Running Time: 4:57

Reader Comments:
  • 6
  • 03/09/2013
  • Kate Fultz Hollis

yes Catherine you are right about the common cold but I still find it strange that people in healthcare go to work sick. Part of that has to do with the institutions that don't give them sick time but I would still think if you cared about the people you were treating you would not go to work sick.

  • 5
  • 02/06/2013
  • Peter Szutu

I do believe that it is a responsibility of health care professionals and para-professionals to be vacinated unless they have a history of "real" adverse reaction such as an allergy to the vacine. In a health care environment, we should do our best to model preventive care. We oftern do not know we are sick in the early stages when we are most contagious and lower wage earners need their hours. Mask or vacinate, that's okay by me.

  • 4
  • 01/30/2013
  • Catherine Mone

Kate F. H., There's an excellent chance that the nurse who coughed on you didn't make you ill. When viruses are in the air, we catch them from all sorts of places. In the case of the flu vaccine, it's about 60% effective. And there is no vaccine for the common cold.

  • 3
  • 01/30/2013
  • Kate Fultz Hollis

I find it particularly disturbing that people in healthcare don't get vaccinated. Last year a nurse in a medical clinic coughed all over me and I was sick for a week. Granted most health care professionals don't get sick time but I question anyone in health care who does not get vaccinated and if it affects you so much you probably shouldn't be in healthcare.

  • 2
  • 01/23/2013
  • Catherine Mone

No one should be required to be vaccinated. If nurses, then why not teachers; if teachers, why not grocery workers? If flu vaccinations, why not fecal transplants! Each person must be free to make the health choices that suit them.



Readers are invited to send feedback to: chl@chcf.org

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