Flu season is here, and it’s important to get a flu vaccination to not only reduce your risk of getting the flu but also the risk of spreading the flu to others. Getting a flu shot helps protect those around you who may be vulnerable to becoming very sick. Patients who visit our hospitals, clinics, and facilities range in age and levels of risk of getting the flu. To better protect our patients, colleagues, and communities, it is important we all get vaccinated.
“Because flu viruses change from year to year, it’s important to get a flu shot annually,” said Ana Nobis, MD, MPH, FACOEM, medical director of the Occupational Health Clinic. “The vaccine is updated to provide the best defense against the strains most likely to be prevalent each year. I recommend to all my family, friends, and coworkers to get their annual flu shot. And of course, my children don’t like getting a shot, but they like being sick much less! It’s the best protection not only for them, but for all those around them.”
Protecting yourself and others against the flu is vital and the Occupational Health Clinic makes it easy for you to obtain your flu shot. Here are a few ways to do so:
- Visit the Occupational Health Clinic (OHC) at Medical Arts Building, 6th Floor, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. without an appointment.
- Use the Peer Vaccination Program, which enables eligible staff members to vaccinate their coworkers.
- Take advantage of OHC Comes to You and request a departmental onsite event.
- Stop in at a convenient location in the community, including the Vanderbilt Health Walk-in Clinics or Vanderbilt Health Clinics at Walgreens. It’s important to report vaccinations received outside of Occupational Health Clinic and the Peer Vaccination Program. Access the Flu Vaccine Self-Report Survey to upload your vaccine documentation on the Occupational Health Clinic website. You may also provide proactive consent for OHC to receive your vaccine documentation from eStar if your vaccine was given at a VUMC clinic, including Vanderbilt Walgreens Clinics.
As a reminder, VUMC faculty and staff are required to meet compliance requirements for flu vaccination by Friday, Dec. 1. For more information, visit the Immunization Program Policy. Help stop the spread of the flu and protect yourself and others this season.
