The Department of Health (DOH), in cooperation with the Department of Social and Health Services, the Adult Family Home Council, the Washington Health Care Association, LeadingAge Washington, the Community Residential Services Association, and the Washington Long-Term Care (LTC) Advisory Committee is proud to continue this immunization recognition program.
The Long-Term Care COVID-19 Immunization Champion Award has been replaced in 2024 by the LTC Respiratory Immunization Award. The program recognizes LTC facilities, nursing homes, and agencies in Washington that meet or exceed vaccine award threshold rates among their staff. This staff vaccination award recognition program launched in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is an annual LTC staff vaccination award. Annual award enrollment and data submission begins in February and runs through May. In celebration of Immunization Awareness Month, awards are targeted for delivery in August.
To participate, facilities and LTC owner/operators who have enrolled report the vaccination status for their health care personnel, which is defined as all paid employees and volunteers who are present in the facility during the identified reporting period. Facilities will also select a barrier to health care personnel vaccination during registration to address throughout the upcoming recognition period.
The table below shows the percentage of healthcare worker vaccination rates and the corresponding award levels. For 2024-2025, minimum staff vaccination rates to qualify for an award are 40% flu AND 20% COVID-19. For example, to achieve the Silver Award, you would need 50% for flu and 30% for COVID-19. In another example, if you achieved 59% for flu and 39% for COVID-19, that would also result in the Silver Award. If you achieved 49% for flu and 35% for COVID-19, the result would be a Bronze award.
|
Award |
Flu |
COVID-19* |
|---|---|---|
|
Gold |
>60% |
>40% |
|
Silver |
50-59% |
30-39% |
|
Bronze |
40-49% |
20-29% |
*Vaccinated staff have had their CDC recommended vaccination and are considered “up to date” by CDC’s definition at the time the reported data on staff vaccinations were collected.
Awardees
The Respiratory Immunization Awardees for the 2023-2024 season have been selected. These long-term care facilities have an employee flu vaccination rate of 50% or higher, or a COVID-19 vaccination rate of 20% or higher.
The Award Process
To qualify for the Long-Term Care Respiratory Immunization Award, facilities must do the following:
- Know one staff vaccination barrier at your LTC location.
- Fill out the registration survey between February 3 and May 31, 2025.
- Determine the highest percentage of employees working in your facility from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025.
- Fill out the final survey to report data by June 2, 2025. If your site reports to NHSN, see the Final Survey section below for information.
Step 1: Initial Registration Survey
Fill out the initial registration survey
The registration survey will ask for your facility's information and point of contact (if needed, see list in step 2 for barrier ideas and interventions).
Facilities eligible for this award include:
- Adult Family Homes
- Assisted Living Facilities
- Continuing Care Retirement Facilities
- Multiple Function Facilities/Agencies
- Nursing Homes
- Supported Living Agencies
- Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
- Enhanced Services Facilities
If you are unsure if your specific workplace qualifies, please email us at ltcaward@doh.wa.gov.
Step 2: COVID-19 and Flu Vaccination Barriers
After you choose a COVID-19 and flu vaccination barrier, you decide how to address it. Then work independently on your chosen barrier and intervention through the season. If you have difficulty coming up with ideas, please look at the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Barriers PDF below, which provides sample barriers and how to overcome them. If you have already removed barriers and all staff are fully vaccinated, select Vaccine Barrier 5, and note all barriers have been cleared.
COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Barriers (PDF)
Step 3: Employee COVID-19 and Flu Vaccination
Collect the highest percentages of employees vaccinated between May 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025. The staff vaccination percentages reported must be derived from within the past seasonal immunization year. Rates must be reported by June 2, 2025. Facilities do not need to report any specific or identifying information about their employees.
Organizations who complete the steps above will be recognized with the appropriate level recognition, including an award certificate signed by the Governor, a Long-Term Care Respiratory Immunization Award window cling and award program logo for use on your website, in social and print media campaigns. Award recipients will be recognized on an awardee recognition list (PDF).
When completing the survey reporting employee vaccination information, facility policy, CDC, and Influenza vaccine recommendations should be utilized to guide reported staff participation and vaccination status.
Final Survey
DOH will email your facility contact when the final survey can be completed. Additionally, we will post the survey link when it is ready. You must complete the above steps before you can complete the final survey.
If you are a facility that reports flu and COVID-19 staff vaccination data to NHSN, continue doing so. If your facility uses NHSN to report staff flu and COVID-19 data, that same information will automatically be used for this award. For those reporting to NHSN, only Initial Registration Survey completion is required to enroll each year. Final survey completion or duplicate reporting in the LTC Respiratory Immunization Award Data Reporting Survey is not required.
Resources
- COVID-19 Vaccination for Long-term Care Residents | COVID-19 | CDC
- People with Certain Medical Conditions | CDC
- Respiratory Viruses and Older Adults | Respiratory Illnesses | CDC
- Interim Guidance for Influenza Outbreak Management in Long-Term Care and Post-Acute Care Facilities | CDC
- Infection Prevention and Control Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings | Influenza (Flu) | CDC
- Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine website
- Immunization Action Coalition of Washington
- Department of Social and Health Services
Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments about the Long-Term Care Respiratory Immunization Award program or other immunization/vaccination questions, please contact us at ltcaward@doh.wa.gov.
Please note that DOH does not regulate or supervise long-term care facilities. This program is voluntary for any organizations or facilities who wish to participate. The Long-Term Care Respiratory Immunization Award is made possible through the association member organizations, DSHS, and DOH partnership.