Solterra Subacute Services Announces New Plan of Action to Combat the Flu
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) November 19, 2014 -- It's the most wonderful time of the year -- unless you're one of the 5 to 20% of Americans who will catch the flu this season.
To help stem the spread of the flu virus throughout the Phoenix area, Toni Alexander, Director of Nursing at Solterra Subacute Services, has created and implemented a new plan that aims for a 100% flu vaccination rate among staff.
"Although the plan for receiving a flu vaccine is not mandatory, medical staff must either receive the shot or wear a medical mask instead," Alexander explains. "We have worked to educate the staff here about the importance of receiving the flu shot because the patients they work with often have compromised immune systems; spreading the flu to our patients could be harmful, or even deadly, for them."
Alexander says she hopes Solterra Subacute Services' emphasis on staff vaccination will help bring up the average rate of staff flu vaccination for long-term care facilities across the country, which currently stands at a paltry 40%.
"It is a great feeling being able to tell our patients and the family of patients that we are working toward having 100% of our staff vaccinated," Alexander says. "We do this for our patients; the flu vaccine prevents the transmission of the disease and should be required for all those working in the health care industry."
Since implementing the plan in October, Alexander says the results have been better than expected.
"Surprisingly, we've had very good results from our team -- we're almost at 100%," she says. "We hope having staff vaccinated will instill patient trust in our doctors here. I think that next year we're going to be seeing a lot more long term care facilities try to implement this same plan. For now, I think we're ahead of the curve."
About Solterra Subacute Services
Solterra Subacute Services manages, owns and operates assisted living and longterm care communities in Colorado and Arizona. The Solterra Subacute Services team works under the motto that their residents should "Live Well." To learn more about their communities and available senior care options, visit solterrasl.com.
Toni Alexander, Solterra Subacute Services, http://solterrasl.com, +1 (480) 405-1788, [email protected]
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