Kohll notes that last year VSA and other providers of flu shots were advised by the major manufacturers to expect a shortage of vaccine for the ’08 season. Because the VSA order was placed early, it had priority and the shortage did not affect the company.
He recalls vividly the near panic that set in among all parties — the manufacturers, providers and major employers — when several years ago a totally unexpected shortage was abruptly announced. With little time and few options, the announcement left many providers scrambling for quantities of vaccine. “Luckily, we had substantially increased our order and were able to help out some of our fellow providers and their clients who were really in a jam,” notes Kohll. “This year, we’re ready for just about anything.”
As one of the country’s largest providers of corporate flu shots, vaccination events and fully-customizable employee health fairs, VSA and its sister company, Health Fairs of America, follow the international situation closely throughout the year. Explains Kohll, “We have to be prepared. We don’t get a second chance. If we underestimate the quantity of vaccine we’ll need or fail to order early enough and something unexpected happens — a factory explosion, a terrorist attack, a contaminated shipment — we’re out of luck and so are our corporate clients and their employees. It’s a situation we do everything we can to avoid. And we almost can’t over-order. Over the years, we’ve developed methods and relationships to productively use any vaccine we order but don’t need. Nothing is wasted.
