Free flu shots available to employees starting Sept. 24

Flu season is just a sneeze away, but employees can receive free Influenza vaccinations to help ward off the contagious virus.

Penn State Health will be distributing flu shots starting on Monday, Sept. 24. Vaccinated employees will receive a sticker for their employee ID badge. Health care providers who decline vaccination and do not have a vaccination sticker on their ID badge will be required to wear a mask when within six feet of patients during inpatient and outpatient clinical encounters during influenza season.

Employees who receive the flu vaccine from their primary care physician or an outside health care organization must submit a copy of the proof of vaccine form to Employee Health to receive an ID badge flu sticker.

Because of the serious risk to patient safety, employees should not decline the vaccine for any reason other than medical contraindication. While vaccination is not mandatory, the organization’s goal is to reach the Joint Commission’s 90 percent standard. Last year, approximately 80 percent of employees at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center received the vaccination.

It is important to get a flu shot every year. It can keep employees and others from getting sick with the flu and reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization.

Last year, the vaccine was thought to be ineffective against the dominant strain that circulated throughout the season. Despite that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize that even small increases in immunity can have a large impact on public health.

A common misconception about the flu vaccine is that it can cause illness. The flu vaccine is made with either inactivated (killed) or weakened viruses. The most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. These side effects usually dissipate after one or two days. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur.

“The most common reactions people have to flu vaccine are much less severe than the symptoms caused by actual flu illness,” said Lori Bechtel, nurse manager in Employee Health and Employee Safety.

Read more about common flu misconceptions.

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