Businesses bracing for flu: companies, mall operator offering inoculations.

While most of the ominous warnings over the past few months about flu-related illnesses have focused on the avian variety, it's easy to overlook the more common type that costs businesses millions of dollars in lost time.

The seasonal flu, which typically starts around Thanksgiving and extends well into January, affects as much as 20 percent of the U.S. population each year--or nearly twice the population of California. Out of that, about 200,000 people are hospitalized each year from flu complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

For business owners, the lost time can really add up, said Gerald Subar, the director of pharmacy at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.

"It can have a big impact on a company if their employees all get sick," he said.

So Subar, like many healthcare providers, has a simple suggestion: get a flu shot. "Everyone should get one," he said.

Companies are heeding his advice.

"It's a longtime tradition for us," said Brad Kieffer, a spokesman for the Woodland Hills-based managed health care provider Health Net, which provides flu inoculations for employees at its 36 regional offices.

More than 4,000 free shots are given each year, including about 1,000 in Woodland Hills, Kieffer said. "It's part of our commitment to wellness," he said.

A similar tact is taken at Dole Foods Co., which hires a company to come provide flu inoculations at its Westlake Village headquarters.

"We bring in a group that administers them in the fall," said spokesman Marty Ordman, adding that the shots cost $25.

The biopharmaceutical company Amgen Inc. also offers flu shots through the on-site clinic at its Thousand Oaks headquarters. The clinic, open year-round and staffed by a doctor and four nurses, sees hundreds of patients a year, especially around flu season.

"It saves a lot of productivity time for the employees to be seen," said Dr. Craig Conlon, who runs the clinic. "Our main goal is in line with what the employees want, which is to get them healthy and stay productive."

Most hospitals and nursing homes offer and sometimes require workers to receive influenza immunizations. California State University Northridge also provides flu shots for employees and students on-campus through its 19-physician clinic.

For the public, Westfield Group is also offering flu and pneumonia vaccinations at its local malls, including Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks, Valencia and Topanga in Canoga Park.

The shots--$25 for flu and $40 for pneumonia--will available Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. until Dec. 10.

A variety of churches, senior centers, Los Angeles County health clinics and community centers are also offering flu shots.

Healthy workers

While flu vaccinations may seem overly cautious for healthy adults, there is evidence that shows immunizations cut down on workplace illnesses.

A study by the University of Minnesota found that among healthy working adults who have received influenza vaccinations, there is a 43 percent reduction in the number of sick days due to upper respiratory illness.

Providing flu shots is part of an overall effort by some employers to make sure workers stay healthy.

Amgen, for example, offers fitness areas, nutritional classes and other health-conscious activities in Thousand Oaks. Like the clinic, the healthy activities ultimately help the bottom line, both in terms of lost time and retention.

According to a study published last winter in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, employers can count on a return of as much as $6 for every $1 they spend over two to five years on health programs.

Even with the returns, though, that doesn't mean companies are jumping at the chance to open a clinic or offer shots.

"They don't think of the financial and productivity as well as wellness advantages to having a medical (clinic) on site," Conlon of Amgen said. "A medical department certainly doesn't seem like a core business to most companies."

Beating the Bug

Where to Get Flu Shots in the Valley

Glendale Health Clinic

501 N. Glendale Ave.,

Glendale

[phone]

North Hollywood Health Clinic

5300 Tujunga Ave.,

North Hollywood

[phone]

Pacoima Health Clinic

13300 Van Nuys Blvd.,

Pacoima

[phone]

Westfield Promenade 

6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd.,

Woodland Hills

[phone]

Westfield Fashion Square 

14006 Riverside Dr.,

Sherman Oaks

[phone]

Westfield Topanga

6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd.,

Canoga Park

[phone]

Westfield Valencia Town Center 

24201 West Valencia Blvd.,

Valencia

[phone]

BY CHRIS COATES 

Staff Reporter