SACRAMENTO – Hospital staff statewide would be required to offer flu and pneumonia vaccines to older patients under a bill by Assemblywoman Patty Berg that was approved by the state Senate Wednesday.

Assembly Bill 106, by Berg, D-Eureka, would require that every elderly patient be offered the chance to receive immunization before they are discharged from a hospital.

“A flu vaccine saves lives,” said Assemblywoman Berg, D-Eureka. “It’s the same with a pneumonia vaccine. These simple shots can make a world of difference.”

Berg’s bill would fix a quirk in current law that says nursing facilities have to offer vaccines, but hospitals don’t.

“The older you get, the more you need immunization,” said Berg. “We need to make sure that everyone who can offer these shots does offer these shots.”

The bill incorporates recommendations by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Senior citizens are at a greater risk for complications from pneumonia, which is a leading cause of illness and death among the elderly. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases reports, that flu together with pneumonia, is the fifth leading cause of death among the elderly.

AB 106 now goes to the Governor for his consideration.

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