The med center is counting on all colleagues to come together to raise its organizational vaccine compliance and documentation rates for both influenza and COVID-19.
Respiratory viral illness season is here. Now is the time to get vaccinated for influenza and COVID-19.
Organizationally, the med center is falling short of expectations and must rally together to do its part.
As shared previously, the goal is 90% vaccine compliance for influenza, with a 100% documentation rate for influenza. As of Oct. 21, the med center is well below goal, with an influenza vaccination rate of 30.7% for Nebraska Medicine colleagues, 28.9% for UNMC faculty and staff and a documentation rate of 34.9% for both organizations. Only 9.5% of colleagues, faculty and staff are vaccinated for COVID-19, and 17.9% have completed documentation.
“We must come together to get vaccinated and do the right thing for the safety of our patients, peers and communities,” said Kelly Cawcutt, MD, Nebraska Medicine’s infection prevention and hospital epidemiology medical director and assistant professor in the UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases. “We still have a few weeks to improve these numbers, and we need everyone to be accountable and take action.”
Vaccination is strongly recommended for all Nebraska Medicine colleagues and UNMC faculty and staff. If anyone has been delaying a flu shot, now is the time to get it, along with the COVID-19 vaccine.
There are three ways to get vaccinated:
- If someone works in a clinical area that has staff to administer the influenza vaccine, get a flu shot in your clinical area. (COVID-19 vaccines are not available for colleague administration in clinical areas.)
- If someone does not work in a clinical area, visit one of the remaining drop-in vaccine clinics. No appointment is required. Remember to complete the influenza questionnaire on the Health Tracking System before arriving and bring your ID badge.
- Visit an outpatient pharmacy, health center or receive a dose in the community at another location. Remember to bring your health insurance card and record the vaccination status in the Health Tracking System afterward. Learn more about how to track vaccination status here.
Regardless of vaccination, all Nebraska Medicine colleagues and UNMC faculty and staff are required to document their influenza and COVID-19 vaccination status in the Health Tracking System. The organization is obligated to report this information to regulatory bodies. Nebraska Medicine colleagues and UNMC employees who received vaccines outside their clinical area or a Nebraska Medicine drop-in clinic or if they declined the vaccination should log in to the Health Tracking System as soon as possible to complete this reporting.
Colleagues also are required to fill out the annual tuberculosis symptom questionnaire at this time. Log in to the Health Tracking System to complete this task.
Get vaccinated for a chance to win a prize
Nebraska Medicine and UNMC employees have two chances to earn a reward:
- Nebraska Medicine and dually-employed colleagues who document the completion of their influenza vaccine in their Empower Your Well-Being portal will be entered into a drawing for 2,800 Empower Prize Store points, which equals a $25 gift card. Ten winners will be chosen, and the drawing will take place at the end of November.
- All Nebraska Medicine and UNMC employees who document their vaccination in the Health Tracking System (whether they received their vaccine at a drop-in clinic, in their clinical area or elsewhere in the community) will be entered into a drawing for one of 20 vouchers to The Company Store.