As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, flu season looms. You see flu shot signs as you drive by local pharmacies and employers start to put a plan together to prevent flu from decreasing productivity in the office and crippling the workforce.
Employee safety and wellness are fast becoming a top priority for organizations. In a given year, companies spend over $170 billion in costs associated with occupational injuries and illnesses. To reduce these costs, and to keep employees engaged and healthy, you need a successful safety incentives program, but that will not create itself. Employees do not just see a safety program and buy in 100% for an indefinite amount of time. Employees need to be incentivized to engage in the programs that you are putting out there for their, and your, benefit.
The 2015 Flu season is still a few months away, but now is a great time to start getting prepared. Every year the United States experiences an epidemic of seasonal flu. While flu season peaks in the winter months, flu outbreaks can happen as early as October and can last all the way into May. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccination for everyone 6 months of age and older. This is the first and most important step to protecting oneself from this very serious disease. People should start getting vaccinated as soon as the flu shot becomes available. Many flu shot providers receive the vaccine as early as July or August. The CDC encourages getting the shot preferably by October. But as long as the flu virus is spreading, it’s not too late to get vaccinated. The flu shot has become easy to obtain. Even without insurance or appointment, CVS/pharmacy offers adolescent, adult, & senior flu shots right in the store while CVS/minute clinic locations offer all that and pediatric flu shots as well. All vaccines are administered by a certified immunizing pharmacist or through a nurse practitioner or physician assistant at Minute Clinic locations.
