Rabies vaccinations for staff?
Jenn
Has anyone done this, or know how to go about it? We do A LOT of quarantines, and may be interested in vaccinating some of the staff as a precaution. I have had trouble finding information online, and was curious if anyone here had anything to offer...?

Thanks! 
Neil
Good Morning Everyone,
If you are in need of HUMAN rabies vaccine and live in the Sequin/San Antonio area - here is information about when the vaccine will be available to you.  (If you are outside this area, you are still welcome to come..... but you may want to check with your physician or a local travel medicine group about getting vaccinated.)
The vaccine for those that have never had it before is a series of 3 vaccines.  You will need all 3 vaccines to be considered protected!  The vaccines are administered by a licensed MD and if you sign up for the vaccine, you are expected to pay for the vaccine since we order them based upon the number we need.  Cost is generally around $40 a vaccine and you will pay for the series on the morning you get the first vaccine. 
The vaccines will be administered at 
Crossroads Veterinary Hospital
1450 East Kingsbury
Sequin, TX 78155
The vaccine will be administered at 7:30am on the following dates:
Friday, February 28
Friday, March 6
Friday, March 20
If you only need a booster, please let Bill know if there is any date you cannot make it so that he can schedule the vaccine so that everyone doesn't show up on the same day.  We require a booster every other year OR proof of a protective rabies titer.  
 
Please let Bill Campaigne know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you will need a rabies vaccination at  wcc711@hotmail.com or830-305-3372.
 
 
 
Sarah House
Practice Manager
Tickle-Blagg Animal Hospital
512-353-1871
Neil
I know that our insurance covers it for employees so this is our personal experience:
It was required for working with animals through the world vets organization for an employee who was volunteering out of the country. She received through ARC and she made an initial consultation to discuss vaccines needed and then it was her responsibility to find an ARC location to receive the 3 injection series as an "outpatient".
I recently started the process with ARC to have myself vaccinated and again was directed to make an initial appointment for consultation to discern necessity and then would go from there. ARC mentioned it needed to be classified a certain way in order for insurance to cover it and that they are very cautious in doing them as the cost is prohibitive and insurance doesn't cover usually. I know my employee that received it was covered under insurance with our plan but that is something that is openly stated as being covered by insurance through our company.
I think it is something that is important to veterinary support staff especially if you are doing rabies quarantine at the clinic. I think it is important to understand that it is difficult to obtain (at least in our experience) and could be a costly expense to the employee. I also know in a clinic I managed in Waco they had all of their staff vaccinated at the cost of the company and it wasn't cheap but also I do not know how easy that was to obtain. I also think it is important to recommend to staff but not force them to in case of any issues that arise from vaccination.
Lastly, I know that there were some changes in the last couple years to requirements of vet hospitals regarding rabies quarantine (signage, housing and handling) and I am having a hard time finding those in writing but I believe it was penal codes. I know that for our clinic we chose to stop quarantining due to these as we did not see a ton, didn't have many support staff vaccinated.
I hope this helps and would love to know who else does quarantine so we can direct people your way (if you want!)





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Krissy Blystone
Hospital Manager
North Austin Animal Hospital512-459-7676512-736-1968 (cell)
Neil
The LVT program strongly recommends that all of our students get their rabies vaccinations when enrolling in the program. For those students that have elected to get the vaccinations it has not been difficult for them to have their physician to write a script for the vaccines. A lot of them have even been able to get the vaccine administered at their local pharmacy. Most pharmacies require the student to pay for the vaccine before they order it for them. It has been across the board as far as cost. Some students have been able to get their insurance to cover the vaccines 100% and others have had to pay out of pocket. It really depends on the individual insurance plan.


I feel like it is such an important precaution to take and 100% worth the investment.


Sara




Sara Ervin, LVTCoordinator - Veterinary TechnologyAustin Community College1501 West Highway 290Elgin, TX 78621Office - 512-223-9429 / Fax - 512-223-9587