November 2008
The Shot Heard
'Round the County
Lake County Employees Protect Their Health

By Nancy Erikson

CT Consultants, an engineering and architectural firm in Willoughby, has offered flu shots to employees for more than 15 years. Patrick Abbott, CT’s human resources manager, said keeping their employees healthy helps with overall attendance. Photo by Toby Shingleton

Every year, influenza puts nearly 200,000 people in the hospital and costs American businesses nearly $10 billion in lost productivity and health expenses, says the Washington-based Trust for America's Health, a health advocacy organization that strives to prevent disease and promote healthier communities.

Whether an employee is shaking hands with a colleague, sitting next to a coughing passenger on an airplane while taking a business trip or coming to work exhausted after caring for a sick child all night, the opportunity to pick up germs is everywhere Ð especially during flu season which is from October to March.

In the hope of heading off those germs before they become a problem, both Lake Hospital System and Euclid Hospital are offering flu shots to the general public. Several businesses throughout Lake County also are offering their employees free flu shots.

At CT Consultants in Willoughby, which provides engineering, architectural, planning and survey services, flu shots have been offered to their 140 employees for at least 15 years.

Because employees at CT Consultants come in contact with many clients and because they work in teams which depend on each member, the company felt it was vital to offer the shots as a way to prevent flu from spreading.

Patrick Abbott, CT's human resources manager, said flu shots are important in keeping their employees healthy and in keeping them from spreading any diseases to others. While most of the engineers and architects stay on site, several are out in the field and come in contact with many people throughout their days, Abbott said. He said having the employees get flu shots at the company helps with attendance overall.

Abbott added it's not only in the workplace where employees can catch each other's germs. Most employees also have families, particularly children, who are in contact with other people who can be infected with a cold or flu.

"We have engineers in the building and in the field," he said. "They come in contact with each other but also with anyone else with whom they have contact."

He said he has spoken with other human resources managers who are also more interested in offering flu shots to limit the number of sick days at their own companies. He said any company becomes concerned when the flu affects a number of employees at once.

"It can be a steamroller effect," he said. "One or two people catch something and they come in contact with many more people. We're a team environment; obviously we want people here working as much as possible."

Other companies also see the value in offering flu shots to employees.

Flu shots will be offered through Lake Hospital System to employees at Roll-Kraft, a wholesaler of industrial supplies in Mentor, and Elster Perfection in Madison, a manufacturer of nonmetallic mechanical joining products for natural gas and propane gas distribution systems.

At EYE Lighting International, a Mentor manufacturer of specialty light bulbs, the 138 employees also are receiving flu shots this month, a practice that has been going on for at least 10 years.

Bobbi Dougher, manager of human resources, explains that while the employees wear gloves in the factory setting, multiple people do come in contact with products as well as papers in the office or other supplies which can provide an opportunity for a cold or flu to spread.

"We don't have a big attendance problem," she said. "But with the flu shot, employees feel a little more confident."

That confidence is important all year round not only in office and manufacturing settings but in health care facilities too.

Pat Cassella, registered nurse and infection control practitioner for Lake Hospital, said the most common illnesses that are spread among coworkers are upper respiratory infections and gastrointestinal flu.

Cassella said although a hospital or health care setting is going to have a higher risk of employees becoming sick because they are caring for ill clients, it's a good idea for any company to follow guidelines for spreading infections, particularly during flu season.

She said the flu vaccine is offered to all 2,500-plus employees at all Lake Hospital facilities, the goal being to vaccinate at least 90 percent of all employees.

Cassella explained influenza vaccines cover a range of strains of the disease but because viruses can mutate, people who receive a vaccine can still come down with another strain which happened last flu season.

So if the flu shot is not a 100 percent guarantee, then what does a conscientious employee in the Snow Belt do?

"The simplest thing a person can do is wash your hands as many times as you can,Ó Cassella said. ÒIf thereÕs one thing people can do to be as germ-free as possible itÕs wash your hands."

She said they advise people to sing "Happy Birthday" twice or recite the "ABC's" while washing their hands to ensure they have washed long enough and thoroughly.

"Basically, it's a 15-second time frame," she said.

The hospital also promotes Cootie Catchers, a germ hygiene program which teaches children and adults to not only wash their hands but keep their hands germ-free by coughing or sneezing into their elbows or a tissue instead.

"However you cough, you need to make sure you're not coughing into the air," Cassella said.

How a person coughs is important because cold and flu spread primarily through airborne or direct contact with contaminated people and objects. Because the flu virus has an incubation period of 24-48 hours, an infected person can spread the illness to many people without realizing it, Cassella said, emphasizing the hospital has several signs to remind staff and visitors about germ control.

"We try to make sure they have the tools they need to do what they can," she said.

Infection control also has always been a priority for employees at MentorÕs STERIS Corp. and their customers who are primarily hospitals, health care facilities and pharmaceutical companies. This year, the company also is extending some of its products for sale to the general public.

Company spokesman Stephen Norton said STERIS is offering five of its most popular hand hygiene products at the Mentor Wal-Mart. People can also purchase hand hygiene products at www.buysteris.com.

The products include: Alcare Plus antiseptic hand rub, Cal Stat Plus antiseptic hand rub, Kindest Kare antimicrobial foaming hand wash, CV medicated lotion soap and Lotion Soft skin conditioner. Norton explains itÕs as important to use hand lotion to keep skin from cracking, which can invite infection.

"It's all about hand hygiene," he said. "Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands."

He added STERIS strives to educate employees and clients about what the Centers for Disease Control calls the 5 C's, conditions for increased risk to spreading infection. They are crowding, frequent skin-to-skin contact, compromised (cut or cracked) skin, contaminated items and surfaces and lack of cleanliness.

Norton said as people become more aware of hand hygiene, they have seen greater interest in STERIS products, particularly from community residents and health care providers who use them in their doctor's offices and hospitals.

"We have a long history of being experts in this area," he said. "It's not just cold and flu season. You need to practice good hygiene year round."

Nancy Erikson is a Willoughby Hills freelance writer.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the economy continues to rank as the most important issue for small-business owners during this presidential election year. Forty-three percent of owners nationwide believe that the economy is the No. 1 issue for this year’s candidates. Other top issues that ranked a distant second include: national security (11 percent), health care (10 percent) and the war in Iraq (10 percent).

Most small business owners in Lake County interviewed mirrored the concerns of their colleagues across the country. Top priorities named include several hot-button issues:

• Not surprisingly, taxes - including estate taxes, sales taxes and personal taxes for the wealthy

• Controlling the skyrocketing cost of health coverage and finding ways of making it more affordable to small businesses

• Reducing mandated, regulatory burdens on small businesses, such as healthcare policies and mandated sick leave