Occupational Health Professional Tips

Information that may be useful to occupational health professionals who are preparing to offer vaccines at worksites.

On this page:
Starting or Enhancing a Program
Training and Staffing
General Vaccine Information
Ordering Vaccine
Employee Education and Promotion Materials
Handling and Administering Vaccine
Vaccine Clinic Logistics
Recording Vaccinations in MIIC

Starting or Enhancing a Program

Training and Staffing

Mark of Excellence
Mark of Excellence Community Vaccinators
Mark of Excellence is a program that MDH developed to recognize community vaccinators who fulfill certain quality measures. Occupational health personnel are welcome to attend the annual Mark of Excellence training event to sharpen and update their skills, although non-public sites are not eligible for Mark of Excellence certification. For more information, contact Lisa Harris at lisa.harris@state.mn.us or 651-201-3523. If your department is in need of temporary staff for clinic dates, you may wish to contact one of the community vaccinators that have earned the Mark of Excellence designation.

General Vaccine Information

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Resources for Health Professionals
This is a summary of CDC's recommendations regarding influenza vaccination. Attention: Non-MDH link

The Pink Book: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
CDC maintains this textbook covering immunization against all vaccine-preventable diseases. Attention: Non-MDH link

Vaccine Information Statements
This page contains VISs for all common vaccines.

Ordering Vaccine

Check with your medical supplier early in your planning for an influenza vaccine program, ideally the spring before each influenza season. Non-influenza vaccines are available year-round.

Influenza Vaccine Production, Ordering, and Distribution Table
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit maintains this listing of influenza vaccine products available each season. Attention: Non-MDH link

Employee Education and Promotion Materials

Your vaccine supplier may furnish promotional materials you can use to attract employees to your clinics. The following links contain additional resources.

vaccines.gov
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created this website to answer questions from the public about vaccines. You could link to it in email announcements of your vaccine clinics. Attention: Non-MDH link

Adults Need Vaccines Too!
Do You Know Which Adult Vaccines You Might Need? (PDF: 199KB/2 pages) Attention: Non-MDH link
Consider handing out either of these flyers at your worksite clinic to alert employees to other vaccines they may want to discuss with their own health care providers.

Flu Prevention Toolkit
CDC maintains a collection of influenza flyers, posters, and other materials you could use to promote your worksite clinic. Attention: Non-MDH link

Influenza
Pneumococcal disease
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases created these patient fact sheets about vaccines you might consider offering in the worksite. Attention: Non-MDH links

Vaccines for Adults
Vaccine Education Materials (see “Vaccines for Adults: A Lifetime of Health”)
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offers fact sheets on vaccines you might consider offering in the worksite. You might also want to order copies of the booklet "Vaccines for Adults: A Lifetime of Health." Attention: Non-MDH links

Handling and Administering Vaccine

Vaccine Protocols
These sample protocols developed by MDH are available for all vaccines routinely recommended for adults.

Use of Protocols
The Minnesota Board of Nursing provides information on how to implement vaccine protocols. Attention: Non-MDH link

Managing Vaccine (MDH)
Vaccine Storage and Handling (CDC) Attention: Non-MDH link
Follow these guides to ensure that your handling procedures keep vaccines safe and viable.

Screening Questionnaire for...
Inactivated Injectable Influenza Vaccine
Live Attenuated Intranasal Influenza Vaccine
Adult Vaccines
These screening questionnaires from the Immunization Action Coalition help you determine which employees are eligible for vaccination. Attention: Non-MDH links

Vaccine Administration
This chapter of the MDH Providers’ Guide contains a comprehensive guide to vaccine preparation, site and route selection, needle length, and injection techniques.

Vaccine Clinic Logistics

Give Productivity a Shot in the Arm: How Influenza Immunization Can Enhance Your Bottom Line
The Partnership for Prevention profiles best practices in worksite influenza vaccination and provides a toolkit with materials you can use. Attention: Non-MDH link

CDC Guidelines for Large-Scale Influenza Vaccination Clinic Planning
CDC has prepared this guidance encompassing all aspects of logistics. Attention: Non-MDH link

Recording Vaccinations in MIIC

Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC)
The Minnesota Immunization Information System (MIIC) is a confidential, computerized system that collects immunization records from multiple sources. MIIC helps make sure that Minnesotans get the right immunizations at the right time. Recording doses given at your worksite in MIIC means employees' primary health care providers will know they've been vaccinated. There is no cost to you to submit data into MIIC. Participation is optional, but MDH encourages the use of MIIC and private providers appreciate it. If you’re ready to get started, contact the MIIC regional coordinator in your area.