Advisory Board – To reassure staff concerns about safety—and to boost overall vaccine uptake—health systems, medical facilities, and even state officials have unveiled a range of communication strategies and incentives, Modern Healthcare reports.
For instance, Lloyd Dean, CEO of CommonSpirit Health, received the vaccine on Dec. 29, 2020, after several weeks of it being available to only frontline staff.
A spokesperson explained the decision, writing, “We think it’s important for our hospital and system leaders to show that they’re willing to receive the vaccine alongside their staff … ”
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Louisiana reported a similar turnaround, AP reports.
“The biggest thing that helped us to gain confidence in our staff was watching other staff members get vaccinated, be OK, walk out of the room, you know, not grow a third ear, and so that really is like an avalanche,” said CMO Catherine O’Neal. “The first few hundred that we had created another 300 that wanted the vaccine.”
Other health systems are taking a different approach, Modern Healthcare reports.
For instance, Mount Sinai Health System is not offering the vaccine to C-suite leaders unless they treat patients. “If a member of the C-suite never goes to a clinical area, they are not prioritized,” Waleed Javaid, director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai, said. …
Meanwhile, Trinity Health has hosted a series of town halls on the vaccines’ safety and efficacy, which have been well attended, AP reports.
In fact, since the vaccine became available, 40% of the system’s employees have received the vaccine, and recent polling suggests 70% are willing to do so …
And still other health systems are adopting more direct incentive programs …
PruittHealth has partnered with Waffle House to buy breakfast for employees who are vaccinated, in addition to entering vaccinated employees into a “continuing raffle” for prizes, the Wall Street Journal … Click source below to read more.
[Is your vaccine provider offering free waffles? It doesn’t hurt to ask what incentives are available when making your appointment. – HH]
