Action Needed By October 29 - New Survey to Determine Need for Flu Vaccines in Long Term Care Facilities
In order to develop an effective distribution plan for flu vaccines to the long term care priority group, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the assistance of Aventis Pasteur, the American Health Care Association (AHCA)/ the National Center For Assisted Living (NCAL), and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) have developed a web-based survey to appropriately identify vaccine needs. This survey instrument will be available to all long-term care facilities at www.ahca.org. Members of AAHSA can refer to the survey as provided at www.aahsa.org. We at CMS, along with the CDC, Aventis Pasteur, AHCA/NCAL, AAHSA and other associations - including the Long Term Care Pharmacy Alliance, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the Senior Care Pharmacy Alliance and the American College of Health Care Administrators - are urging that all long term care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living, residential care, ICFsMR) complete the survey by COB on Friday, October 29, 2004. The importance of responding to this survey cannot be overstated. The information requested is needed by the CDC, with the support of Aventis Pasteur, for the development of a distribution plan aimed specifically at long term care and its priority group. Your responses will be used solely for the purposes of developing a distribution plan specific to the current shortage and will not be used for any other purposes or shared with other organizations.
It is critical that all facilities complete this online survey. Even facilities that have responded to previous surveys must fully complete this particular survey, as the results will be used by the CDC to help determine the most effective distribution of vaccine supplies. However, please understand that participation in this survey does not guarantee receipt of influenza vaccine doses.
In order to complete the online survey at either www.ahca.org or www.aahsa.org facilities must have available the following information: the facility's Medicare/Medicaid provider number and/or state license number (as applicable), the number of beds and direct care staff and contact support staff at the facility, the name and address of the supplier (i.e., pharmacy) with which they placed their initial vaccination order prior to October 5, 2004, the quantity of that order and the name and address of the distributor that was to provide the vaccine to their supplier.
