Dear NorthBay Employees and Physicians: 

Solano County Public Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas will soon issue a mandate that all hospitals and healthcare facilities in Solano County must require their employees and volunteers to receive the annual influenza vaccination or wear a mask when working in patient care areas during flu season, Nov. 1 to March 31.

Because influenza affects 5 percent to 15 percent of the U.S. population every year, leading to an estimated 3.1 million days of hospitalization and 31.4 million outpatient visits, it is critically important that hospital employees take preventive measures to stay healthy and continue to provide critical healthcare services to the residents and visitors of Solano County. 26 Many hospitals in California have already made vaccination or masking a condition of employment. 

NorthBay Healthcare supports the county’s mandate and urges our employees and providers to receive a flu vaccine. 27  (See attachment.)

NorthBay Healthcare will issue stickers through Employee Health to managers to distribute to staff and volunteers who have received the vaccine. The stickers should be affixed to the employee’s badge, indicating that they do not need to wear a mask in patient areas. 28 

29  If employees decline vaccination they are required to sign a declination statement in lieu of vaccination. Although NorthBay Healthcare complies with state law, our vaccination rate for employees was 77 percent in 2014, woefully below the state goal of having 90 percent of all workers vaccinated. 30 EAttached to this memo is a list of Frequently Asked Questions with answers. This memo, the FAQ sheet and a list of employee vaccine clinics are available at www.NorthBay.org/fluFAQ

(A)State law requires that hospitals offer influenza vaccinations to employees. 

(B) There are still a number of vaccination clinics available.

 
(C)Influenza vaccination is a preventive measure that reduces serious disease from influenza infection and decreases worker absenteeism. 

(D)Those without stickers will be required to mask when interacting with a patient or working in a patient area.

 
(E) This mandate affects all staff; physicians, volunteers, even non-clinical staff if they are working or rounding in patient care areas