Hospital systems have tried numerous techniques to increase compliance with influenza vaccinations. Hospital systems have tried making it extremely convenient to receive your vaccinations by bringing carts around to nursing stations or offering vaccinations at staff meetings. When convenience did not work, they tried to make it as inconvenient as possible. Hospital systems tried making decliners sign paperwork acknowledging the risk they are taking for themselves and their patients. They have also tried techniques such as requiring unvaccinated employees to wear masks during flu season (Field, 2009). Hospital systems also tried to encourage education and use complementary approaches to increase vaccinations rates (Stewart, 2012).
The goal for healthcare workers was to achieve 90% of those working in healthcare to be vaccinated against the flu. In 2004-2008, 40% of healthcare workers were vaccinated against the flu. In 2009-2011, 64% were vaccinated against the flu. The vaccination rate increased; however, the goal of 90% was not met (Stewart, 2012). This lead law makers and health systems to begin mandating the …show more content…
This is a highly debated topic as it is required yearly while the other mandatory vaccinations are required less frequently. States that require the influenza vaccination include California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016).
New York was one of the first to mandate the influenza vaccination. Healthcare workers argued that the mandate violated their fourteenth amendment right. They argued that the mandated deprived them of liberty without due process. The courts turned to Jacobson v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts in this case. In this case, the United States Supreme Court recognized the police powers of the states under the Tenth Amendment (Stewart, 2009).
The case of Jacobson v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts allowed Massachusetts to require the smallpox vaccination. The case has shown that judiciary has consistently affirmed that an individuals right to refuse immunization is outweighed by the community wide protection conferred by immunization. New York healthcare workers argued that this case does not apply to their current situation (Stewart,