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Healthcare workers: Are they getting flu shots? By Sandy Brundage Almanac Staff Writer
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lu season’s here, and with it come messages urging everyone to get vaccinated. Hospitals near Menlo Park are trying to practice what they preach by vaccinating more employees for flu than in previous seasons, and last year they beat the average statewide vaccination rate. Vaccinating healthcare workers helps reduce the severity of flu outbreaks among patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency recommends all healthcare workers get annual flu shots, but no law requires employees to do so. However, since 2008, California hospitals are required to report how many workers get the shot each year. The Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, filed a public records request with the California Department of Public Health for statistics on flu vaccination rates among healthcare workers for 2008 through 2009. The data showed an average rate of 52.4 percent statewide. Local hospitals
Hospitals near Menlo Park, however, are doing better than average. The Almanac checked the Consumers Union data for Stanford Medical Center, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Menlo Park Surgical Hospital, Kaiser Redwood City, San Mateo Medical Center, and VA Palo Alto, and calculated vaccination rates ranging from 56 to 83 percent. Ranked last is the San Mateo Medical Center, where, according to the Consumers Union data, only 56 percent of its employees were vaccinated during the 200809 flu season. The hospital is encouraging workers to get the shot this year, according to representative Jana Cramer. She said the actual number vaccinated may be higher because MANAGER continued from page 5
Another search
In the search for an interim city manager who will oversee Town Hall until a recruitment process finds a permanent manager, the town has set a 5 p.m. Oct. 29 deadline for applications, hoping to have someone in place by Nov. 8 or soon after. The council decided in late September to appoint an interim manager to head operations in
the state required a signed form that not all employees may have completed. Next came the Menlo Park Surgical Hospital, with a 66 percent vaccination rate during that timeframe, confirmed by spokesperson Cynthia Greaves. Data for 2009-10 wasn’t available. Kaiser Redwood City showed a more modest increase from 66 percent in the 2009-09 season to 69 percent during 2009-10. Media relations manager Matt Brown said that data includes all hospital staff and volunteers. VA Palo Alto, Stanford Hospital tops
Next comes the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, which had the highest rate for 2008-2009. Although federal facilities are not required to report that data to the state, spokesperson Kerri Childress said last year its vaccination rate remained steady at “just over 80 percent” for the approximately 3,200 employees working at facilities in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Livermore. “We really get pushed to try and inoculate as many people as possible,” Ms. Childress said. “It’s a high priority for our central agency. The goal was 70 percent nationwide, so we exceeded that.” The award for “most improved” goes to Stanford Hospital and Clinics. Spokesperson Liat Kobza said 67 percent of the staff got the shot in 2008-09; anyone who did not had to take an educational course before refusing the vaccination. The education effort paid off; the following flu season showed an increase of 16 percentage points, with 83 percent of the employees getting vaccinated. Subsidiary Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital matched those rates. Robert Dicks, senior media relations manager, attributed the increase to “an extraordinary awareness campaign” conducted through videos, flyers, signs, and classes. A
Town Hall to allow the town to take its time in finding a permanent city manager in a process that will include appointing a citizens committee to help interview the council-chosen finalists among candidates. After this week, three of Atherton’s top management positions will be vacant. Former building official Mike Wasmann left his position as head of the troubled building department in August, and the council is seeking applications for a replacement.
8 ■ The Almanac ■ October 20, 2010
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Best of breed
Mogul, a 5-year-old Great Pyrenees, won best of breed in California at the Diamond Anniversary Great Pyrenees Specialty Dog Show held Sept. 10 in Petaluma by the Great Pyrenees Club of California, according to his owners Rita and Wyn Wachhorst of Atherton. Mogul was chosen from a field of 45 Great Pyrenees. His handler was Terri Brennan Weiss (center) of the East Bay. Mogul has two or three walks a day and is brushed daily, says Ms. Wachhorst (right). The judge (left) is Thomson P. Stanfieldl Jr.
Mysterious protest at Sacred Heart Prep By Sandy Brundage Almanac Staff Writer
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rivers along Valparaiso Avenue on Oct. 14 may have wondered why two men sat outside the gates of Sacred Heart Preparatory school holding a banner that read,“Shame on Sacred Heart.” Their purpose remains a mystery, since the two men refused to shed much light on why they were there. They did hand out a flier that warned, “Beware Astro Turf the synthetic turf company on your new athletic fields is currently in a lawsuit! Don’t get caught up in the mess! Get out while you can!” They declined to answer The Almanac’s questions without first getting permission from whomever was responsible for the protest. According to Astro Turf, the only lawsuit the company is currently involved in is a Michigan case against the manufacturer over an alleged patent infringement. However, Darren Gill, a spokesperson for plaintiff FieldTurf, said they “were in no way connected to whatever is happening at Sacred Heart Prep.” Sacred Heart has not yet installed the new fields, according to Millie Lee, the school’s director of communications.
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Lt. Joe Wade said in an Atherton Police Department bulletin published on Oct. 16. For its part, starting on Monday, Oct. 18, the police department boosted traffic patrols in the area and will have officers visiting Atherton schools to talk about pedestrian and bicycle safety, Lt. Wade said. Mr. Mendoza, though homeless, was a familiar presence in Atherton
■ MEN L O B RI EF S
Council reviews budget, housing The Menlo Park City Council will hold its regular Tuesday night meeting on Oct. 19, after a week’s hiatus. Scheduled for discussion are the city’s below-market-rate units and other aspects of its affordable housing program, as well as a financial review of the general fund, which includes an unexpected $517,000 sales tax shortfall, according to the staff report. The council will also consider whether to formally support Measure M on the San Mateo County ballot, and oppose state Proposition 26. The county measure seeks to add $10 to the vehicle registration fee to fund pollution and traffic mitigation; Menlo Park would receive an estimated $143,100 annually from Measure M, according to the staff report.†Proposition 26 would require all state or local tax increases, as well as certain types of fee increases, to be approved by two-thirds of voters in an election. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at the Civic Center (701 Laurel St.)
and known to the police. “It was not out of place for him to be there,” Lt. Wade said, adding that the roadsides of El Camino are popular with homeless people traveling between Redwood City and Menlo Park. Mr. Mendoza’s companion crossing the street with him was not injured and, as the only witness, was interviewed by police, Lt. Wade said. The driver of the Toyota Camry that struck Mr. Mendoza is a 44-year-old man and Atherton resident who had been traveling
Preliminary hearing on hit-and-run case The driver who allegedly hit a motorcyclist in Menlo Park on Oct. 4, then fled the scene despite the victim, who suffered a broken back, pleading for help, will face a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 19. Police arrested Eric Olvera Nieto, 21, at his girlfriend’s home in Ripon. According to the district attorney’s office, Mr. Nieto rear-ended the motorcycle at a red light, throwing the victim onto the hood of the car. Police said the suspect had no license, and fled because he was in the United States illegally. Mr. Nieto remains in custody on $50,000 bail.
Chamber mixer, Allied Arts event On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce will hold a mixer at AutoVino (205 Constitution Dr.) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event is open to Chamber members and their guests. For weekend mingling, the Allied Arts Guild (75 Arbor Road) will host an open house on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with refreshments, live music and garden tours. For more information, call 322-2405.
alone and who volunteered to be tested for drug or alcohol abuse, Lt. Wade said. Test results were negative, he said. Police closed traffic on El Camino for four hours in the southbound direction and three hours northbound while investigating and recording evidence at what had been designated as a crime scene. “That’s what we classify it as when we have a fatality,” Lt. Wade said. “Just to make sure that all the evidence is preserved as best as possible.” A