Health Care Leader to Offer Vaccinations at Little or No Cost
American Family Care (AFC), the nation’s leading provider of urgent care, accessible primary care and occupational medicine, announced today it will once again undertake a national campaign to promote flu prevention in the United States. Central to the effort is the company’s reprise of its highly successful National Flu Prevention Week, from October 23 to October 29. During this time, flu vaccinations will be offered at little ($15*) or no cost to new and existing patients visiting AFC clinics.
The World Health Organization estimates that influenza is responsible for between three to five million cases of severe illness and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths globally every year. However, in the wake of AFC’s efforts to promote flu shots and reduce the spread of influenza in the workplace during the 2016–2017 season, overall influenza activity in the U.S. was only moderate. Medical experts agree that the key to improving upon last year’s moderate flu season is vaccination.
“With more than 180 medical centers across the U.S. seeing 3 million patients a year, AFC deals with the flu as much or more than any other health care provider outside of the federal government, so we understand the impact it can have on people and their families,” said Dr. Jeremy Allen, of American Family Care. “As one of the leading providers of occupational medicine in the U.S., we also understand the effect the flu has on businesses and the economy overall.”
Flu Prevention Help for Employers
AFC’s National Flu Prevention Week has been designed to provide individuals and businesses with guidance beyond the need to be vaccinated. In addition to providing low-cost or no-cost flu shots at their clinics or on-site flu clinics for businesses, AFC has also established guidelines for employers to mitigate the risk of flu in the workplace. Indeed, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu each year, and tens of thousands are hospitalized and thousands die from flu-related illness. As a result, up to 111 million workdays are lost because of influenza — at an estimated cost of $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity.
To assist in deploying flu prevention measures in the workplace, AFC has established a hotline specifically for employers interested in curtailing the spread of colds and flu in the weeks and months ahead. Employers seeking help may call (205) 421-2148 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Standard Time.Employers can play an important role in preventing flu, helping to protect employees’ health and reducing losses in productivity and revenue. “The flu takes a devastating toll on our nation’s workforce,” says Dr. Allen. “Employers should make sure they give workers time to go get their flu vaccination and step up the cleaning and disinfecting of their facilities to keep the workplace as germ-free as possible.”
*Promotional price only applicable for cash pay patients if payment is made at the time of service. Promotional price not applicable to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. If AFC bills insurance for the vaccination/procedure, charges may increase and/or additional charges may apply, though there are generally no out of pocket expenses for patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and many other insurance plans. Promotional price available October 23, 2017 – October 29, 2017 for Flucelvax QIB MDV vaccinations only.
