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Banner Health News Center  
Banner Estrella Medical Center patients screened for pneumonia and flu vaccines
 

PHOENIX (October 15, 2007) – Every patient 18 years and older admitted to Banner Estrella Medical Center is being screened for the pneumococcal and influenza vaccines.

Clinicians are alerted through the patient’s electronic record to perform a preventive health screening to determine if the patient is eligible for the vaccines. The patient then has the opportunity to receive the vaccinations, regardless of the reason they are in the hospital.

“The preventive screening is a great way for patients to get their flu and pneumonia vaccines while they are in the hospital,” said John Placko, pharmacy director at Banner Estrella Medical Center. “It’s one less thing they have to worry about when they are released.”

In the first week of the program, 37 percent of eligible patients chose to receive the flu vaccine. The cost to receive the vaccines is typically covered by patients’ health insurance providers, requiring no additional out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Uninsured patients have the option to pay a nominal fee to receive the vaccines.

The preventive health screening is part of a pilot program and will be rolled out to several other Banner Health hospitals later this month.

According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, immunizations have proven to be the most effective way to stop the spread of disease. Each year, 36,000 people in the United States die from the flu, yet most of the population chooses not to get the vaccine. Last flu season, close to 1,000 people in Maricopa County got the flu, and nearly 1,800 died of influenza or pneumonia.
    
Banner Estrella Medical Center, located on the southeast corner of the Loop 101 Freeway and Thomas Road, is a 172-bed full-service hospital offering general surgery, orthopedics, OB services, a full cardiac program with open-heart surgery, emergency services and imaging services. Banner Estrella is part of Banner Health, the leading provider of health care services in the Valley with eight hospitals.

For more information about Banner Estrella, visit us online at www.BannerHealth.com.

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