Background: Influenza is a contagious disease affecting over three million people every year. It is associated with yearly seasonal outbreaks which increases the risk of mortality among immune-compromised, hospitalized clients, clients in long-term care facilities and also enhances the risk of infection in healthcare workers (HCWs). Nosocomial infections and employees’ absenteeism are often associated with the flu. A high influenza vaccination rate in health care professionals reduces the risk of influenza infection as well as being a cost- effective strategy to reduce lost work hours. A Joint Commission criterion for accreditation for healthcare facilities is to achieve a 90% or better vaccination rate by 2020. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was, to educate and increase HCWs awareness of the impact of influenza, remove barriers to taking the vaccine, consequently improving vaccination rate. Methods: This project evaluated the impact of a comprehensive educational program guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), and a leadership-modeled intervention; administering pre and post-questionnaires to a group of HCWswho either worked in acute or long-term care facility or declined the flu vaccine in 2016/17 season. Results/conclusion: There was a 45% increase in vaccination rate in acute and 36.3% increase in LTC among N= 110 participants.Vaccination rate for the organization improved from 66% to 82.2%. Use of education and active leadership support increased HCWs understanding of influenza illness, and removed important barriers that affected decisions to be vaccinated. Keywords: Influenza vaccine, health behaviors, healthcare workers, vaccination rate, hospital.