Last call: Get your flu vaccination prior to Friday’s deadline

Time is running out to protect patients, families and each other from the spread of disease.

Under the organization’s influenza vaccination policy, faculty, staff, students and volunteers must receive their annual vaccine by Friday, Dec. 1 or receive an approved exemption or declination. Those who submitted an exemption by Nov. 1 — and it was approved — or a declination by Dec. 1 will be required to wear a mask in patient care areas for the entire flu season.

AFSCME and MNA/UMPNC bargaining unit members should refer to their union contracts and memoranda of understanding pertaining to flu vaccinations for additional information. The MOU for AFSCME employees is available here and the MOU for MNA/UMPNC is available here. Per the MNA/UMPNC MOU, bargaining unit members may receive an approved medical or religious exemption or decline the vaccination for other reasons.

To make it easier for employees to get their flu vaccine, Occupational Health Services will expand its hours on Thursday, Nov. 30. OHS, which is located on the third floor of the Med Inn Building, will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. that day to provide vaccines for faculty and staff. Be sure to bring your ID badge when you arrive and you will receive a sticker for the badge after getting the shot.

You can also get your vaccine from a clinical unit flu liaison or in the Towsley Lobby from noon until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30.

If you get your flu shot at your doctor’s office, pharmacy or any other location outside of an OHS flu clinic, make sure to get documentation on paper with your name on it. Give this to your department’s compliance contact so they can record it and give you a sticker for your ID badge. Please be aware that, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu mist is not an acceptable alternative to the flu vaccination.

Later this year, the Infection Prevention and Epidemiology team will notify everyone when flu season begins, which will alert those who received an exemption to start wearing a mask before they enter clinical areas.

More information about this year’s flu prevention program, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the organization’s flu website. Learn more about the flu vaccine by clicking here.

Thank you for doing your part to protect the community from the spread of the flu!