Mass flu shot clinic offered

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Sep 28, 2004 | by Rindfleisch, Terry

La Crosse-area residents will get a chance to get their flu shots and participate in a public health exercise preparing for an outbreak or epidemic on Saturday, Oct. 9, at the La Crosse Center.

The Coulee Region Public Health Consortium, Gundersen Lutheran and Franciscan Skemp Healthcare are sponsoring a mass flu immunization clinic with enough vaccine for 1,500 people from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the LaCrosse Center's North Hall.

The huge public health exercise is the first in Wisconsin to test the planning for a potential outbreak of SARS, flu, smallpox, meningitis or food-borne illness, said Doug Mormann, director of the La Crosse County Health Department.

Mormann said it is important for the public to participate in the clinic and exercise so public health officials can test the system. The consortium's goal is to immunize 600 to 800 people, but can vaccinate up to 1,500, he said.

"People can just show up and help us practice our emergency response and our partnerships," Mormann said. "We want to know how prepared we are if a flu pandemic occurs, or if we have another outbreak. We'll be testing our capacity and learn how we can do things better."

Christine Hovell, director of the Trempealeau County Health Department, said the exercise will test the flow of a large immunization system with 150 volunteers and 60 nurses. "We'll find out if we enough resources available and how efficiently we can handle the numbers," Hovell said.

Mormann said the clinic will focus on immunizing children, a priority of health organizations this flu season. Children will be vaccinated free of charge, and adult vaccines will be available for $8, at least half of the usual cost, he said. Health insurance will be accepted.

Even though the flu vaccine will be available through health departments and private clinics after Oct. 9, the mass flu vaccine clinic is an excellent opportunity to have children vaccinated free of charge, said Laura Gambino, La Crosse County Health Department's public health nursing supervisor.

Gambino said the health department has received 1,000 doses of the flu vaccine and expects another 2,000 doses next week. Some flu vaccine may be delayed due to a bad batch of vaccine by one manufacturer, but the health department doesn't get vaccine from that manufacturer, she said.

The LaCrosse County Health Department has 4,800 doses to dispense during the flu season. The vaccine can prevent flu, and many studies have shown it to be the best means of prevention, Gambino said.

Getting the vaccine early is the best way to prevent the flu and will help ensure patients receive a flu vaccine, she said.