SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health has released the 2016-2017 Influenza Vaccination among Health Care Personnel in California Hospitals Report.

California acute care hospitals must offer influenza vaccination at no cost to health care personnel and require they receive annual influenza vaccination or declare in writing that they decline vaccination (Health and Safety Code section 1288.7).

This report presents data for the 2016-2017 influenza season, October 1, 2016, through March 31, 2017. Overall, California hospitals reached 83 percent influenza vaccination.

The highest vaccination rates are among employees paid by the hospital (87 percent) and the lowest are among licensed independent practitioners (67 percent), a category that includes physicians, advance practice nurses and physician assistants who are not directly paid by the hospital.

“California hospitals are continuing to make incremental progress in their health care personnel vaccination coverage,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “To improve vaccination, hospitals should target specific health care personnel groups with the lowest vaccination coverage. Annual influenza vaccination is a simple, safe, and cost-effective way to prevent influenza.”

CDPH recommends that all health care personnel promote patient safety and the health of the public by taking appropriate measures, including annual vaccination, to prevent the spread of influenza infections in health care settings.

Members of the public should discuss influenza vaccination with their doctors or other health care providers and ask if they, themselves, have been vaccinated.

The report and an interactive map are available on the CDPH Web site. The data will also be available through CDPH’s Open Data Portal.