Dr.+Farnitano's+call+for+volunteers+for+flu+clinics

To all medical staff, Influenza season is in full swing, with 96% of isolates at our lab H1N1, which matches the nationwide rate. So far we have had 10 patients with lab confirmed influenza admitted to CCRMC with severe influenza (2 on a ventilator) and one 2 week old infant transferred to CHO. Only 3 out of 23 patients with positive flu results had gotten a flu shot. Our ED and hospital as well as many other bay area hospitals are being impacted by an increased number of respiratory illness cases. We have made automated telephone reminder calls in 20 patient preferred languages to all our diabetics who have not received a flu shot, encouraging them to call for a treatment nurse appointment for a flu shot. Starting yesterday we expanded the Flu reminder calls to call all children 50 years of age who have not yet had a flu shot. These calls will be completed over the next 3 weeks. Ambulatory care is again running cold and flu clinics this winter, between Nov. 1 and March 31, in the evenings at up to 6 sites: Brentwood, Antioch, Pittsburg, Concord, Martinez and West County. We are looking for family physicians, internists, pediatricians, family nurse practitioners and resident physicians with moonlighting privileges to staff these. These clinics are paid like extended evening clinics, i.e. for physicians $42/hr bonus above base salary, FNPs usually time-and-a-half. Here is how it works: 1. Physicians and Nurse Practitioners can contact Gina Soleimanieh at the medical staff office: 370-5182 or Gina.Soleimanieh@hsd.cccounty.us to sign up for these clinics. 2. Clinics run 5:30-9:00 and will have the same number (9) of appointment slots as a typical extended evening clinic. 3. Starting at 7AM the day of the clinic, patients with cold, flu or respiratory symptoms will be scheduled by advice nurses and appt. unit clerks. If by 2pm there are still unfilled slots in these clinics, the remainder of the slots will be opened up to any patient, regardless of chief complaint, who needs an appointment.
 * Please continue to offer flu shots to all your patients.**
 * I am asking providers to sign up for cold & flu clinics during the next 3 months to help meet the surge in patient demand and minimize the impact on our emergency department.**

Dr. Chris Farnitano Ambulatory Care Medical Director Contra Costa Health Services

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