NYC Residents—H1N1 Vaccination and Treatment Locations
You can direct your patients to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Web site to find a health center where they can get vaccinations or treatment for H1N1 flu.
With the onset of seasonal flu and H1N1 flu continuing to spread, we encourage you to inform your patients and staff to take precautions to help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Now more than ever, it is important to recommend thorough handwashing, covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, avoiding touching the eyes, nose or mouth and avoiding close contact with sick people. Personal protective measures should be taken by medical personnel caring for or obtaining specimens from patients being tested for influenza or who have suspected illness.
Because patients rely on their doctor as the primary source of medical information, we encourage you to counsel your patients on the importance of getting their flu shots and allay any fears they might have about getting vaccinated. If you are not providing vaccination this flu season, please be prepared to tell your patients where they can go to get vaccinated. Please see below for resources.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that practitioners sign up to electronically receive the CDC Health Alert Network (NHAN) Info Service Messages on novel H1N1 Flu. To sign up for these daily updates, click here.
Additionally, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has prepared the following Algorithm Tool, which practitioners can use to guide their decisions about testing, treatment and prophylaxis of patients presenting with influenza-like disease in an outpatient setting.
Medication Coverage:
The CDC recommends the use of Tamiflu® or Relenza® for the treatment of H1N1 flu. We cover both of these prescription drugs for plan members with a pharmacy benefit.
Vaccine Coverage:
The federal government will pay for the H1N1 flu vaccine. EmblemHealth and its companies GHI and HIP will cover seasonal flu and H1N1 flu vaccine administration given by participating or non-participating providers for plan members with vaccine benefit coverage. All children aged 19 years and under are covered regardless of vaccine benefit coverage. This means that for plan members with vaccine benefit coverage and all children 19 years of age and under, there is no copayment, deductible, or coinsurance when the only reason for the visit is to get the flu shot(s). If members see their doctor for other reasons and also get a flu shot, any applicable co-pay, deductible and coinsurance would apply.
Both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines can be given on the same day. The usual seasonal flu viruses are still expected to cause sickness this fall and winter. People are encouraged to get their seasonal flu vaccine now as the vaccine is available. All children less than 9 years of age who have not been vaccinated for seasonal flu in the past will require two seasonal flu shots. The 2009 H1N1 vaccine will require one dose for persons 10 years of age and older. Children from 6 months to 9 years of age will require two doses of H1N1 vaccine.
NYC Residents—H1N1 Vaccination and Treatment Locations
You can direct your patients to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Web site to find a health center where they can get vaccinations or treatment for H1N1 flu.
UPDATE! NYC Health Department is Offering H1N1 Vaccine in Schools
The New York City Department of Health is working with public and nonpublic elementary schools to offer the H1N1 vaccine (at no cost to parents) starting in late October or early November. Elementary schools will schedule vaccines during regular school days. For middle and high school students, free weekend vaccination clinics will be held in each borough during November and December. Children will be able to get the vaccine at school with their parent’s permission. You can pick up a consent form from your child’s school or download one online.
Public Health Law 2168 requires health care professionals to report all immunizations administered to persons less than 19 years of age, along with the person's immunization histories, to the New York State Department of Health using the statewide Web-based New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS). Use of this registry should aid clinicians and help reduce the time spent preparing immunization records for school and camp, calculating which vaccines are due, tracking vaccine inventory, and requesting vaccine records from other practitioners.
NYSDOH recommends that immunizations administered to individuals 19 years of age or older be reported via NYSIIS as well -- with the express written consent of the vaccinee. A consent form for this population has been developed for NYSIIS.
To keep current on this topic, we recommend that you visit the Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the New York State Department of Health.
Additionally, the New England Journal of Medicine has established the H1N1 Influenza Center at nejm.org, which posts research, articles and commentaries on H1N1. This site is open and available to all.