Maryland Hospital Association Policy Position
on Mandatory Influenza Vaccination
Maryland’s hospitals are committed to protecting the health and well being of patients and staff. Evidence indicates that unvaccinated health care workers can unintentionally expose patients to seasonal influenza, and that such exposure can be dangerous to vulnerable patients.
The Maryland Hospital Association endorses patient safety policies that require mandatory influenza vaccination for all health care workers. The aim is to protect the lives and welfare of patients and health care workers.
Implementation Tips
The implementation plan/policy should include:
- A communication plan
- Scope of policy by category of health care worker (For example, employees, volunteers, medical staff members, students, vendors, etc.)
- Delineation of roles and responsibilities related to the implementation and management of the vaccination policy
- Availability of vaccine and prioritization in the event of shortages
- Mechanism to make the vaccine available to all target groups
- A means to track and record compliance (including proof of vaccination)
- A process to define and evaluate requests for medical and religious exemptions