The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) awarded Parkland Health’s Cancer Program with the 2023-2024 Laura Scott Outstanding Influenza Season Activities Award. This national honor recognizes the hospital’s efforts to improve flu vaccination awareness, access, and administration rates in its community.
“This is a fantastic example of how Texas’ teaching hospitals continue to innovate and create positive impacts on the health of our communities,” said Maureen Milligan, PhD, Teaching Hospitals of Texas CEO. “I congratulate them for their recognition and for their outstanding initiatives that have improved vaccination rates for those most at risk of serious illness during flu season.”
People with cancer or those who have previously had cancer are at an increased risk of developing serious illness during flu season due to cancer treatments that can weaken their immune systems.
Parkland Health team members Andrea Semlow, MS, MPH, global program manager of cancer prevention, screening and care integration, and Iza Delgado, RN, oncology infusion therapy nurse, accepted the award on behalf of the program.
“I am incredibly proud of our team’s dedication to safeguarding our patients and staff through enhanced vaccination practices,” Semlow said in a statement. “Our commitment to flu and COVID-19 vaccinations has had a profound impact on the health of our patients with cancer and their families.”
From the Parkland Health press release:
Parkland’s Cancer Program made significant strides in improving adult vaccination rates through a series of innovative quality improvement initiatives funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). These included comprehensive adult vaccination status assessments, targeted recommendations for COVID-19 and influenza vaccines and streamlined vaccine administration processes. Notably, the program implemented nurse-driven initiatives with designated nursing staff to boost vaccination administration efforts with hesitant patients.
As a result of these initiatives, the Cancer Program saw a remarkable increase in vaccine assessment rates, rising from 6% to 87%. Additionally, the proportion of medical oncology clinic patients who were up to date on their influenza vaccine improved from 37.8% during the 2022-2023 flu season to 49.5% in the 2023-2024 season.
