Massachusetts Nurses- Flu Mandate

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How is your compliance for the flu vaccine?  Our numbers are pretty abysmal.  We have a significant number of in person students and more coming back in January.  Many parents are claiming religious exemptions, but have yet to return the required paperwork that goes along with that.  It's going to be super fun calling parents and sending home their kids in January when they all try to comeback to school without their vaccine.  I am most annoyed because we had flu clinics at every school and have been telling them about this since Gov. Baker mandated it.

Specializes in School Nursing, Pediatrics.

Jen, it is awesome! You don't have to hound parents for immunizations or doctors offices, just log into SNAP and sync to the MIIS system. My district doesnt use PS (my kids school does though, but they don't have SNAP, small town district, no budget, but its been asked for). I do not know if School Brains connects to MIIS, it maybe an add on though.

Just message me if you need any help! 

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Specializes in School nursing.
20 hours ago, scuba nurse said:

Jen, it is awesome! You don't have to hound parents for immunizations or doctors offices, just log into SNAP and sync to the MIIS system. My district doesnt use PS (my kids school does though, but they don't have SNAP, small town district, no budget, but its been asked for). I do not know if School Brains connects to MIIS, it maybe an add on though.

Just message me if you need any help! 

Oh, School Brains does not AT ALL. I pull everything from MIIS manually to enter into SB. I used to have SNAP like 5 years ago and I miss it so much.

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On 12/16/2020 at 1:05 PM, JenTheSchoolRN said:

We may get more details by Friday. 

Any updates?

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Specializes in School nursing.
14 hours ago, MHDNURSE said:

Any updates?

No. I'm hoping by tomorrow. 

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We're probably at 40% compliance for the flu vaccine. I have been told by our nurse leader that it will not be enforced.  

That's really cool that snap coordinates with MIIS.  We use health office and I've had to use MIIS to look everyone up individually, print out the certificate, and put it in the computer.  Ugh. 

On a side note-has anyone heard where Mass school nurses are in the line to get the vaccine?

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Specializes in School nursing.
1 minute ago, Imnotasnacklady said:

We're probably at 40% compliance for the flu vaccine. I have been told by our nurse leader that it will not be enforced.  

That's really cool that snap coordinates with MIIS.  We use health office and I've had to use MIIS to look everyone up individually, print out the certificate, and put it in the computer.  Ugh. 

On a side note-has anyone heard where Mass school nurses are in the line to get the vaccine?

Supposedly in the last part of phase 1 along with other non-covid facing health care workers. But no follow-up/further confirmation seen on my end re: this thus far. 

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Specializes in pediatrics, school nursing.

Our LBOH is giving a webinar for all people included in phase 1 who aren't hospital affiliated (police, fire, independent medical providers, school nurses) tomorrow on what to expect. I am happy to report back once that's over! The one caveat is that they are likely taking care of our entire county as the state was only giving vaccine administration approval to LBOH who would serve more than 200 first responders. A city like Boston or Worcester would have their own as they likely employ 5x that many first responders by themselves...

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So they extended the deadline to February 28th to get the flu vaccine.  My guess is March 1 they will just say never mind as flu season will be winding down by then.  Super frustrating as we have spent HOURS reaching out to families and just sent letters home yesterday telling them they can't come back on January 4th without it. And now they are telling us to reach out again and say never mind, just get it by 2/28 ?

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Specializes in School nursing.
6 hours ago, MHDNURSE said:

So they extended the deadline to February 28th to get the flu vaccine.  My guess is March 1 they will just say never mind as flu season will be winding down by then.  Super frustrating as we have spent HOURS reaching out to families and just sent letters home yesterday telling them they can't come back on January 4th without it. And now they are telling us to reach out again and say never mind, just get it by 2/28 ?

I had been been making reminder calls but had held back with going full force re: exclusions because I just had a feeling this was where it was heading. My school had also made it mandatory for staff, and we are announcing the extension to all the week of January 4th. 

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Specializes in school nurse.
On 12/23/2020 at 12:40 PM, MHDNURSE said:

So they extended the deadline to February 28th to get the flu vaccine.  My guess is March 1 they will just say never mind as flu season will be winding down by then.  Super frustrating as we have spent HOURS reaching out to families and just sent letters home yesterday telling them they can't come back on January 4th without it. And now they are telling us to reach out again and say never mind, just get it by 2/28 ?

Kind of hits our credibility when we send out all these communications with deadlines, doesn't it?

Lord only knows what DPH and DESE are going to have to say about the COVID vaccines once it makes its way through the high priority cohorts...

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On 12/24/2020 at 2:35 PM, Jedrnurse said:

Kind of hits our credibility

1000%. Really hard for all of us after working so hard to push families top get this vaccine and now we like "haha, never mind".  

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Specializes in pediatrics, school nursing.

Just got the email from DPH... Flu Vaccine Mandate has been "cancelled".......

"The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is removing the requirement for flu vaccination for attendance in childcare/preschool, primary, secondary and postsecondary education.  Preliminary data show that this has been a mild flu season to date, presumably as people have received their seasonal flu vaccine and have been adhering to mask-wearing and social distancing due to COVID-19.   Given the intensive Commonwealth-wide efforts regarding COVID-19 vaccination, DPH wants to alleviate the burden to obtain flu vaccination and focus on continuing our COVID -19 vaccination efforts.  

DPH continues to strongly recommend that everyone age six months and older receive their seasonal flu vaccine each year.  

Jana Ferguson

Assistant Commissioner 

MA Department of Public Health"

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