BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Family Care (AFC), the nation's leading provider of urgent care,
accessible primary care, and occupational medicine, announced today
it will once again undertake a national campaign to promote flu
prevention in the United States.
Central to the effort is the company's reprise of its highly
successful National Flu Prevention Week, from October 22 to October 28.
The World Health Organization estimates that influenza is
responsible for between 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and
290,000 to 650,000 deaths globally every year. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated
80,000 Americans died of influenza and its complications during the
2017-18 season – the highest death toll from the flu in at least 4
decades. Medical experts agree that the key to decreasing the
number of potential deaths this flu season is vaccination.
"With 200 medical centers across the U.S. seeing 3 million
patients a year, AFC deals with the flu as much or more than any
other health care provider outside of the federal government, so we
understand the impact it can have on people and their families,"
said Dr. Ben Barlow, of American
Family Care. "As one of the leading providers of occupational
medicine in the U.S., we also understand the effect the flu has on
businesses and the economy overall."
Flu Prevention Help for Employers
AFC's National Flu
Prevention Week has been designed to provide individuals and
businesses with guidance beyond the need to be vaccinated. In
addition to providing low-cost or no-cost flu shots at their
clinics and employer workplaces, AFC has also established
guidelines for employers to mitigate the risk of flu in the
workplace. Indeed, according to researchers at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5 to 20 percent of the U.S.
population gets the flu each year, and tens of thousands are
hospitalized with flu-related illness. As a result, the flu causes
U.S. employees to miss approximately 17 million workdays due to
flu, at an estimated $7 billion a
year in sick days and lost productivity.
To assist in deploying flu prevention measures in the workplace,
AFC has established a hotline specifically for employers interested
in curtailing the spread of colds and flu in the weeks and months
ahead. Employers seeking help may call (205) 421-2148 Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central
time. While supplies last, AFC is also making available
workplace readiness kits, which contain items essential to reducing
the spread of the influenza virus. These kits include:
- Paper towels – Recent studies show 12 percent of
surfaces that looked clean were heavily contaminated, mainly
because sponges and cleaning cloths were full of bacteria from a
previous wipe-up. Discarding sponges and using paper towels can
help keep surfaces germ-free.
- Clorox Healthcare® Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfectant Spray
– Especially during the cold and flu season, cleaning crews should
use this spray to treat doorknobs, handles, light switches, phones,
railings, elevator buttons and escalator rails. Viruses can live up
to 48 hours on plastic and stainless steel surfaces.
- Hand sanitizer – Studies find that microbes can be
transferred from workers' hands to keyboards, phones and desks.
This means that these surfaces may harbor 400 times more germs than
the average toilet seat — because they're rarely cleaned.
- Pens galore – Employees should have their own stockpile
of pens they don't share with colleagues. Pens carry a ton of germs
that are easily transferred when shared.
- Hand sanitizer wipes – Employees should have a pack on
their desks, whether to clean their hands or public surfaces.
- Flu Prevention Checklist – Lastly, in addition to the
items contained the kit, AFC has also developed a flu prevention
checklist for distribution to individual employees — so they can be
more knowledgeable themselves.
Employers can play an important role in preventing flu, helping
to protect employees' health and reducing losses in productivity
and revenue. "The flu takes a devastating toll on our nation's
workforce," says Dr. Barlow. "Employers should make sure they give
workers time to go get their flu vaccination and step up the
cleaning and disinfecting of their facilities to keep the workplace
as germ-free as possible."
For more information on National Flu Prevention Week and how to
obtain flu vaccinations at little or no cost at participating AFC
clinics, visit www.NationalFluPreventionWeek.com.
About American Family Care:
Starting with a single
location in 1982, American Family Care has pioneered the concept of
non-emergency room urgent care. With its 2013 acquisition of the
Doctors Express franchise, AFC has become the nation's leading
provider of urgent care, accessible primary care, and occupational
medicine, with 200 clinics and 650 in-network physicians caring for
3 million patients a year. Ranked by Inc. Magazine as one of the
fastest growing companies in the U.S., AFC's stated mission is to
provide the best health care possible, in a kind and caring
environment, while respecting the rights of all patients, in an
economical manner, at times and locations convenient to the
patient. For more information, visit
www.americanfamilycare.com.
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SOURCE American Family Care