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Important Message from the HHS Secretary 10/01/09
Flu season is already here, and over the past several weeks, we’ve already seen an increase in cases of influenza nationwide. This year, we must deal with a new virus – the 2009 H1N1 flu – in addition to the seasonal flu we see at this time every year.
Thanks in large part to your hard work, we’ve been able to connect with businesses, schools, and families across the country to let them know what they can do to prevent flu or care for people who are sick.
But I know that many of you – as parents, caregivers, community members, and concerned federal employees – may still have questions about flu.
First, I want you to know that in the near future the Department of Health and Human Services, along with many other federal departments and agencies, will offer our employees voluntary vaccination for both the seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 flu. Be on the lookout for upcoming HHS announcements about where and when you can go to get both seasonal and H1N1 vaccine at your local worksite or within your community. For more information on how vaccine will be distributed to the federal workforce, I would invite you to read the Policy of Immunization of Federal Workers with 2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu Vaccines.
In addition, a new influenza toolkit from the Office of Personnel Management for federal supervisors and employees is now available at www.flu.gov/professional/federal/workplace/index.html . This toolkit contains detailed information about steps federal employees should take if they or someone they work with gets the flu.
Finally, www.flu.gov is your first and best stop for comprehensive, easy-to-access information on the flu. Flu.gov links you to information from across the federal government, including CDC guidance, posters, and toolkits to help prevent the flu. For those of you into “viral” communication, the site has public service announcements, widgets, and e-cards, so you can spread prevention information to family and friends. Flu.gov also hosts a Web page we’ve built especially for federal workers – www.flu.gov/professional/federal/workplace/index.html. In addition to the toolkit described above, the site has posters, flyers, podcasts, and other materials that agencies can download, customize, amplify, and add to their intranet sites. There’s even a place to sign up to “stay connected” by getting regular updates from www.flu.gov.
Fighting the flu is a responsibility that’s shared by all Americans, but, as HHS employees, people will look to us for answers to their questions about the flu. The best way you can do your part to help the people close to you prevent flu is by spreading the word via www.flu.gov.
Pass along a PSA. Send an e-card. Print out a poster for your condo association or your PTA. And let us know if you have a suggestion about other materials or ways we can reach out with information and assistance. Just drop us an e-mail at Flu@hhs.gov.
Thank you for everything you do for the American people.
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
