UDOH Releases Influenza Vaccination Rates of Hospital Healthcare Workers

(Salt Lake City, UT) – If you hope to avoid getting the flu as a result of visiting a hospital, there’s a new tool in your arsenal.  The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) released the annual Healthcare Worker (HCW) Influenza Vaccination Coverage Report for HCWs in licensed* Utah hospitals. The report was developed by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) in partnership with Utah Healthcare Infection Prevention Governance Committee (UHIP GC). Using this report, Utahns will be able to compare influenza vaccination rates for healthcare workers among licensed hospitals in Utah.

The report lists all reporting licensed Utah hospitals, along with their influenza vaccination rates for hospital HCWs, for the 2012-2013 influenza season. It is available on the UDOH Healthcare Associated Infections website at http://health.utah.gov/epi/HAI/data.html.

“Influenza vaccination among healthcare workers reduces patient infections and death and is an essential part of a comprehensive patient safety program,” said Allyn Nakashima, M.D., State Epidemiologist, UDOH. She adds, “Unvaccinated healthcare workers put themselves at risk for infection when working with patients who may be ill with influenza. More importantly, if a healthcare worker becomes sick with influenza, they can spread that infection to their patients who are often the most vulnerable to serious complications of influenza.”

The UDOH and the UHIP GC agree that influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel is a critical patient safety practice that should be required in all healthcare facilities, unless an organization has achieved a vaccination rate greater than 95 percent by other means. Patients should reasonably expect that they will not contract potentially life-threatening illnesses such as influenza from their healthcare providers while being treated for other conditions.

In November 2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections reporting rule (Rule‐386‐705, Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection). This rule requires that hospitals report healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates. Results have shown that healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates in Utah hospitals have consistently increased from 75.5 percent in 2008 to 94.8 percent in 2013. 

In April 2011, the UHIP GC recommended that all healthcare delivery facilities in
Utah implement a policy of compulsory annual influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel. While the Utah hospitals are not required to have mandatory influenza vaccination programs for healthcare workers, some Utah healthcare facilities have compulsory programs in place. Healthcare organizations that do not have an effective healthcare worker influenza vaccination policy are strongly encouraged to develop one.

Visit http://health.utah.gov/epi/HAI/goverance_committee.html for more information about UHIP GC members.

*Licensed hospitals include acute care, long-term acute care, critical access, rehabilitation, psychiatric, government and children’s hospitals.

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The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health through

preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death, assuring access to

affordable, quality healthcare, and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Gestational Diabetes Can Have Lasting Consequences

(Salt Lake City, UT) – On average, 2,000 babies – 1 in every 25 births – are born each year to Utah mothers with gestational diabetes.  Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition during pregnancy in which a woman’s blood sugars are higher than normal. GDM can cause serious problems for both mom and baby. The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) wants women to understand the importance of blood sugar control during pregnancy and of testing sugars and lifestyle modification after pregnancy. 

New data from the 2011 Utah Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a survey of recently delivered women, show that only one-third of mothers with GDM reported having their blood sugars tested after the baby was born.

“Most women have no symptoms of gestational diabetes and are tested for high blood sugar between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy,” said Lois Bloebaum, UDOH Maternal and Child Health Quality Improvement Director. “The condition can be serious and can lead to large babies, making labor longer, more difficult, and sometimes requiring a C-section.”  

Women are at higher risk for GDM if they are older, overweight, or obese before becoming pregnant, have a family history of diabetes, or are of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander heritage. 

“Even more worrisome is the fact that a woman who has had GDM is now at higher risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes after delivery,” said Bloebaum. “Type 2 is the most common and can lead to several health complications if it isn’t managed well.” 

Utah mom Rachel Davis felt very tired after she delivered her 5th baby in 2012.  “I thought it was just stress,” said Davis. “But at my postpartum checkup, I found out I had type 2 diabetes.  I immediately worked with my physician to manage my blood sugar and soon had more energy and felt better,” she added. “Every mother (who had gestational diabetes) should do herself and her family a huge favor and get her blood sugar tested."

Laurie Baksh, UDOH Maternal and Infant Health Program Manager, agrees. “It’s essential that every mom who delivers a baby and had gestational diabetes gets a checkup that includes blood sugar testing after the baby is born,” said Baksh. “Our data show that 89% of women with the condition said they had a postpartum checkup, but only 34% had their sugars tested during the visit.”

Some simple things women with GDM can do after delivery to reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the future are:

•  Choose healthy foods, like fresh produce, water, and whole grain breads and cereals.

•  Engage in some form of physical activity at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week.

•  Breastfeed your baby.

•  See your health care provider regularly and have blood sugar tested every 1 to 3 years.

•  Lose weight gained during pregnancy within six months of delivery.  

•  Maintain a healthy weight.  

Women with GDM should see their health care provider if they are planning on becoming pregnant again as they are at high risk for a recurrence in their next pregnancy. The good news is that lifestyle changes can help reduce that risk. More information can be found at the National Diabetes Education Program - May is for Moms! Web page at http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org. 

 

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The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health through preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death, assuring access to affordable health care, and promoting healthy lifestyles.  

Safe Kids, Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers ‘Drive Safety Home’

(Salt Lake, UT) – Preventable injuries such as motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian-related crashes, drowning, suffocation, and falls are the number one cause of death for children ages 1-14 across the U.S. and in Utah. To help parents and caregivers learn how to keep children safe, Safe Kids Utah has teamed up with the Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers to “Drive Safety Home” on Safe Kids Day, held Saturday, May 18, 2013.

“Every hour in this country, a child dies from an injury that was entirely preventable,” said Eden Anderson, Director for Safe Kids Utah. “We have to change this.”

From road safety to fire and drowning prevention, from sports safety to poison and falls prevention, Safe Kids coalitions across the globe work every day to reach parents and kids to provide helpful tips and tools on keeping children safe. 

“We’ve made great progress; in the past 25 years, Safe Kids coalitions throughout the country have helped to reduce the number of children dying from unintentional injuries in the U.S. by more than 50%,” said Janet Brooks, Child Advocacy Manager at Primary Children’s Medical Center and current Vice President of Safe Kid Utah.

Free safety fairs will be held at Rocky Mountain Chevy dealerships across the state on Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Families can get tips on car seats, helmet safety, preventing child injuries around vehicles, and more. Free bicycle helmets will also be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis. Events will be held at the following dealerships and locations:

•     Larry H. Miller Chevrolet (5500 South State Street, Murray)

•     Jerry Seiner Chevrolet (1530 South 5th West, Salt Lake City)

•     Riverton Chevrolet (10770 Auto Mall Drive, Sandy)

•     Gus Paulos Chevrolet (4050 West 3500 South, West Valley City)

•     Mike Hale Chevrolet (2190 Rasmussen Road, Park City)

•     John Watson Chevrolet (3535 Wall Avenue, Ogden)

•     Quality Chevrolet Buick (1041 North Main Street, Tooele) – bicycle helmet giveaway only

•     Sanpete County Fairgrounds (500 North Main, Manti) – car seat checkpoint from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

•     Town Square Park (50 South Main Street, St. George) – car seat checkpoint from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in addition to a free safety fair

To learn more about Safe Kids Day events in your community or to make a donation to Safe Kids Utah, visit www.safekidsutah.org.

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The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health through preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death, assuring access to affordable, quality health care, and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Utah Teen Pregnancy Rate Plummets

(Salt Lake City, UT) – In 2006, the Utah Department of Health made a pledge to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to reduce the teen pregnancy rate 20% by the year 2015.  The goal was to lower the rate from 39.6 to 31.7 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15-19.  In 2011, Utah far surpassed the goal with a rate of 27.0 – a 29% plunge.

"In trying to examine reasons for the decline, we found that both births and abortions among teens have fallen since 2006,” said Nan Streeter, Director, UDOH Maternal and Child Health Bureau. “We saw a 40% reduction in the birth rate among Hispanic teens, and a 43% drop among Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders.” 

Streeter says the drop may be due to the efforts of local organizations that work directly with youth using federal teen pregnancy prevention funds.

Utah has received two grants from the federal Administration on Children, Youth, and Families.  The grants fund states to implement both ‘personal responsibility’ and ‘abstinence only’ education programs statewide. 

A recent CDC report examined postpartum contraceptive use among teens in 16 states. It found Utah's teen mothers had the second-highest postpartum use of the most effective contraceptive methods, including contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices.  The Department has high hopes for even better results in the future.

“Utah is certainly on the road to even further reductions in the teen pregnancy rate,” said David Turok, M.D., University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “The lower rate is due largely to the fact that Utah teens have had better access to highly effective contraception methods in recent years, namely IUDs and the contraceptive implant. We must continue to make these most effective, reversible methods available.”

Turok said only Colorado performed better than Utah over the last several years. “And that is because Colorado provided any resident who wanted one an IUD or under-the-skin implant free of charge.”

"Although we have met our statewide goal, there is still so much work to be done to help our youth put off having children until they are emotionally and financially more prepared,” said Dr. David Patton, UDOH Executive Director.  “We are committed to our mission to continue to reduce teen pregnancies."

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Pregnancy Risk Line has New Name: MotherToBaby UT

(Salt Lake City, UT) – As Mother’s Day approaches, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and University of Utah collaborative program, Pregnancy Risk Line, introduce MotherToBaby UT, a name added to Pregnancy Risk Line, the statewide counseling service that connects experts in the field of birth defects research and pharmacy with health care providers and moms. 

"Our service has been providing information over the phone for nearly 30 years,” said John Carey, MD, MotherToBaby medical director and pediatrician at the University of Utah. “Most obstetric, pediatric, and family practice providers, as well as pharmacists, are aware of the service. We believe the name MotherToBaby will make it clearer that, along with pregnancy, we also answer questions about medicines and other exposures for breastfeeding moms," Carey added.

“It’s often hard for moms to find reliable information about the risks of medications, alcohol, chemicals, beauty products, infections, and other exposures during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, especially online,” said Lynn Martinez, Program Coordinator. “There is a lot of information out there, but it’s very often incorrect. Now more than ever mothers need  reliable information,” she added.

Carey explains the need for counseling, saying approximately 50% of women report taking at least one medication during pregnancy. “The average woman doesn’t find out she’s pregnant until she’s at least five or six weeks along. That means a woman could have been consuming alcohol or taking medications during that time without knowing she’s pregnant. She then finds herself deeply concerned about what it might mean for her developing baby. MotherToBaby staff can be a reassuring source for moms,” Carey added.

MotherToBaby UT is an affiliate of the international non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a prestigious professional society that supports and contributes to worldwide initiatives for education and research into non-inherited birth defects and the effects of medications on the breastfed infant. 

MotherToBaby affiliates are recommended resources by many agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and are dedicated to providing evidence-based information to mothers, health care professionals, and the general public. Anyone living in North American can connect with MotherToBaby toll-free through its phone counseling service at 1 (866) 626-6847.

“In addition to my primary health care providers, MotherToBaby UT offered me an added layer of support by letting me know if the medication I took could get into my breast milk and if my baby was likely to have side effects or not,” said Katy Blommer, mother of two who called the service during both pregnancies and while she breastfeed. “What a relief this service has been for me. After talking to the staff, I felt informed and empowered to making smart decisions about my health,” she added.

Find more information about MotherToBaby UT at http://health.utah.gov/prl/.

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