National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Receives Grant from CSL Biotherapies

The grant will be used to convene an October 20, 2007, roundtable of healthcare professionals across industry sectors to share best practice models on vaccinating workers in their respective environments. In addition, NFID also will publish a best practices guide and tool kit that will detail implementation strategies designed to increase healthcare worker immunization rates.

“NFID is pleased to focus its efforts on much-needed improvement in healthcare professionals’ immunization rates,” said Susan J. Rehm, M.D., NFID medical director.

Current research suggests that fewer than 40% of healthcare workers—serving in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home healthcare agencies, and doctor’s offices nationwide—receive the annual vaccination, despite adequate supply.

Targeting its supply of vaccines to healthcare worker populations is a central component of CSL Biotherapies' strategy, according to Robert Lefebvre, vice president and general manager of U.S. commercial operations. “We have a situation in the United States where there are enough flu vaccine doses produced each year, but too few people receiving them,” said Lefebvre. “Because of their proximity to at-risk populations, healthcare workers have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a high-priority audience. Our goal by funding this grant is to help meet this critical public health need, through targeted communications and innovative distribution strategies.”

The NFID grant also will assist in complementary efforts to partner with organizations such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to increase rates of vaccination among unionized healthcare workers.

“More than one million health care workers are united under SEIU Healthcare,” said Dennis Rivera, chairman of SEIU Healthcare. “We know that comprehensive flu education programs that emphasize the importance of healthcare worker immunization to protect them and those they serve from the flu can dramatically increase voluntary vaccination rates. That’s why we are pleased that the NFID is supporting such an important program.”

About NFID

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit, tax-exempt (501c3) organization founded in 1973 and dedicated to educating the public and health care professionals about the causes, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. For more information, please visit .