Kaweah Delta kicks off employee flu vaccination season to protect patients
Kaweah Delta kicks off employee flu vaccination season to protect patients
VISALIA – Employees lined up today as Kaweah Delta kicked off the
first day of its employee flu vaccination season in an effort to keep
patients and visitors safe from the flu this year amid COVID-19.
“Getting the flu vaccination and taking all the preventative measures
we’re taking with COVID, will help this season,” said Shawn
Elkin, Kaweah Delta’s Infection Prevention Manager. “It will
reduce the negative impact of both of these viruses circulating at the
same time.”
Kaweah Delta has made flu vaccinations available for years, but since 2015,
in line with the State’s urging of hospitals, Kaweah Delta has required
all staff to either get a flu vaccination or wear a facemask through cold
and flu season. On this first day of vaccinations, approximately 300 of
Kaweah Delta’s more than 5,000 employees received their flu shot
to protect patients and visitors (vaccinations are given at no cost to
employees, as well as medical staff providers and residents). Kaweah Delta
is among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the U.S. for its flu vaccination
compliance, said Gloria Simonetti, Kaweah Delta’s Employee Health
Services Manager.
“We want to prevent getting the flu and we want to protect our patients
because we are working so closely with them,” said Simonetti, noting
that employees have until mid-November to get a flu shot.
Kaweah Delta’s staff influenza vaccination rate was 99 percent last
year, and was 98 percent for the two years prior, all of which exceed
the national Healthy People goal of 90 percent, Elkin said. The latest
information available from the California Department of Public Health
(CDPH) shows that 98 percent of Kaweah Delta’s staff have been given
influenza vaccination. In California, the average percentage of healthcare
workers given influenza vaccination is 85 percent.
Influenza vaccination coverage among health care personnel is an important
measure of a hospital’s health care quality, according to CDPH.
Health care personnel who receive annual influenza vaccination make an
important contribution to prevent transmission of influenza to high-risk
patients, their families, and the community.
Although Kaweah Delta has already seen cases of the flu this season, it
will officially begin its surveillance and reporting of cases to the Tulare
County Health and Human Services Agency from Nov. 1 through March 31,
2021. Last year, Kaweah Delta saw 4,273 cases of the flu, two-third of
which were seen on an outpatient basis, with 339 hospitalized cases, Elkin said.
Flu shots are available at Kaweah Delta Urgent Care and clinic locations
for patients 3 years and older. When people experience cold and flu symptoms,
Kaweah Delta urges the public to seek care from their personal physicians
for conditions that are not life threatening or will not require hospitalization.
When that is not possible or the condition is urgent, but not life threatening,
people are urged to visit an urgent care facility or a walk-in clinic
instead of the emergency department. The following locations are available:
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Kaweah Delta Urgent Care: 1633 S. Court St., Visalia, 624-6090
Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
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Kaweah Delta Urgent Care: 3600 W. Flagstaff Ave., Visalia, 624-6800
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
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Sequoia Prompt Care: 1110 S. Ben Maddox Way, Visalia, 624-4800
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
on Sundays (Closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day).
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Visalia Medical Clinic’s QuickCare: 5400 W. Hillsdale Ave., Visalia, 738-7555
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. on Sundays
If people do not have a physician and need one, a same-day appointment
may be available by calling:
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Sequoia Health & Wellness Centers: 202 W. Willow Ave. (5th floor), Visalia, 624-4820
The following conditions/injuries (not an exhaustive list) can be treated
at Kaweah Delta Urgent Care, Sequoia Prompt Care, or Visalia Medical Clinic’s
QuickCare:
- Fever or flu symptoms (cold, sore throat, cough)
- Sprains, broken bones, fractures
- Mild asthma/breathing difficulties
- Abdominal pain
- Cuts (minimal blood, stitches or staples)
- Ear infections
- Vomiting, diarrhea or dehydration
- Animal bites
- Urinary tract infections
- Bronchitis
- Burns or chemical exposure
- Infected wounds
The following conditions/injuries should be treated at Kaweah Delta’s
Emergency Department:
- Heart attacks/strokes
- Uncontrollable severe bleeding
- Sudden or severe pain
- Coughing blood or vomiting blood
- Severe breathing difficulties
- Sudden dizziness, weakness or vision changes
- Severe vomiting or diarrhea
- Changes in mental status/confusion
- Open bone fractures
If you are experiencing any of these conditions, please call 911 immediately.