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published on December 4, 2018 - 2:08 PM
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Kaweah Delta’s efforts to keep patients and visitors safe by requiring all staff to either get a flu vaccination or wear a face mask during cold and flu season have made it a leader in the state.

According to Shawn Elkin, Kaweah Delta’s infection prevention manager, the staff influenza vaccination rate has been 98 percent for the last two years, which exceeds the national goal of 90 percent. Kaweah Delta’s staff influenza vaccination rate is tied for fifth highest in the state in a report published by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

“This is really impressive and no small undertaking,” Elkin said. “These results are evidence that health care personnel at Kaweah Delta are concerned about the patients they care for.”

Influenza vaccination coverage among health care personnel is an important measure of a hospital’s health care quality, according to CDPH. Kaweah Delta, which has seen a 21 percent increase in the number of staff getting a flu vaccination since 2015-16, is also a key player in helping increase the aggregate health care personnel vaccination rate in California hospitals from 72 percent to 84 percent in the 2017-18 flu season, according to the report.


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