It’s Time to Offer Greater Flu Protection—for the Good of Your Community and Your Business

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says influenza season is off to its earliest start in 10 years. By mid-November 30 states had confirmed cases. These facts have been detailed on local and national TV news programs and in major newspapers and online news sources. And yet, many people who intend to get vaccinated haven’t done so. Your urgent care providers could be the catalysts for getting them to take that step, possibly saving lives but certainly reducing incidence and building better relationships with your operation. Atrium Health hit on a promising idea by promoting Free Flu Shot Wednesdays. It’s a marketing tactic that also helps raise the overall preventive health of the community. Further, many urgent care operators have excess flu vaccine inventory due to increased competition from retail and box stores. Some will argue that giving away something you paid for as part of your core business doesn’t make sense. Here’s something else that doesn’t make sense, though: letting something you paid for go to waste while people in your community are getting sick. People need flu shots; you need patients. Make it easy for them to get vaccinated and undoubtedly they will be back when they have immediate needs. To gain some insights into how you can approach the dual opportunity (clinical and business) of offering flu shots, read The Great Flu Shot Conundrom in the JUCM archives.