Dear Director, President or Administrator:

Federal, state and local public health agencies are working to decrease the spread of novel H1N1 (swine) flu, and ask that you also help in educating businesses and employees about what they can do to protect themselves this flu season.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued “Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Tool Kit for Businesses and Employers.” This resource provides a menu of tools employers can use to fight flu, in coordination with local health officials, based on local flu conditions and what CDC and other public health organizations know about seasonal flu and are learning about the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. The tool kit can be accessed online at http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/toolkit.html.

In addition, the Connecticut Department of Public Health developed the attached fact sheet for businesses on how to prepare for H1N1 as well as a bilingual flyer for employees and their families.

We ask that you forward this information to your chamber members and request that they share it with their employees. We also invite you to post our flyer and other resources on your website and distribute it through your newsletters. You may also want to include a link in your email cover and on your website to our CT Flu Watch website (www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch) where additional information is available.

Thank you for working with us to educate your members and their employees about H1N1 influenza. By taking action now, we can help promote a safer workplace environment for Connecticut employees and help maintain continuity in the workplace during the 2009-2010 flu season.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Diana Lejardi at (860) 509-7270.

Thank you,

William Gerrish, Director

Office of Communications