Flu Season: Why Get the Flu Shot?

The EHC team administered almost 7,000 flu shots last year between September 2023 and April 2024, the period referred to as “flu season”! 

The mission of the MetroHealth Employee Health Clinic (EHC) is to support a safe and healthy workplace by protecting and enhancing the health and wellbeing of MetroHealth System (MHS) work-force members, including employees, providers, volunteers, and trainees. The EHC provides several services in support of this mission. The team in the EHC provides pre-employment evaluations, N-95 mask fit testing, various health screenings, evaluation and treatment post-exposure to infectious agents or blood-borne pathogens, and vaccinations. One of the most administered vaccines, is the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine. 

The extraordinary Employee Health staff in the Free on-site Employee Health Clinic will provide the annual flu vaccine (located on the 5th floor of the Hamann Building, off the C elevators) as well as other MetroHealth locations.

Influenza is a contagious illness that can be mild to severe and include some or all of these signs and symptoms:

• fever or feeling feverish/chills
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle or body aches
• headaches
• fatigue (tiredness)
• some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, this is more common in children than adults.

Each year, the influenza vaccines that are available are developed to protect against the types of flu viruses that research indicates will be the most likely to spread and cause illness. The types of viruses change from year-to-year and immune protection declines over time, which is why the vaccine is required annually. Most people who get the flu will recover quickly, but some will not and could develop complications from the flu.

The EHC team enjoying a visit from the Loving Paws Dog, Denver and his human Bill Michaels

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obtaining an annual flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu. This protects our patients, too. Certain groups are at higher risk of developing complications from the flu and vaccination is especially important. These include adults 65 years and older and children younger than 2 years old, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and pregnancy.

In accordance with The MetroHealth System's Vaccination Program for Employees (Policy HR-66) and Non-Employed Workforce Members (Policy HR-84), all workforce members (including volunteers) must be vaccinated against influenza each year as a condition of continued employment, services or non-patient use of MetroHealth facilities.

More information about the flu can be found here: About Flu | CDC