Final H1N1 flu vaccinations in Downey tomorrow

DOWNEY - The City of Downey and the L.A. County Department of Public Health will host a free H1N1 flu-shot clinic tomorrow at Downey Adult School (DAS) at 12340 Woodruff Ave. The site is also known as Columbus High School and is located at the corner of Woodruff and Imperial Highway.The clinic will use the Harriett Paine Event Center as the vaccination site. Clinic hours of operation will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or when the available vaccine supply has been distributed). The parking gates leading onto the DAS property will be opened at 5:30 am on Saturday morning. This will be the last flu shot clinic in Downey this year. The availability of a supply of the H1N1 vaccine for this clinic was confirmed last week by the L.A. County Department of Public Health (DPH). The H1N1 vaccine should be available as an injection and a nose spray. The availability of specific vaccines such as the preservative-free version will not be known until Saturday morning when the clinic supplies arrive. Supplies of the H1N1 vaccine for flu-shot clinics have been limited and have presented planning challenges for clinics such as this one. The DPH staffs believe the number of available vaccinations will be similar to the amounts distributed during the October and November H1N1 clinics in Downey. The DPH is targeting the following groups for vaccinations at the Downey H1N1 clinic: -Young people ages 6 months to 24 years -People living with or giving care to children under 6 months of age -Emergency Medical Services personnel and health care workers -People ages 25-64 with chronic heart, respiratory, diabetes and other health problems -Pregnant women Clinic attendees should expect to be screened during the registration process for the above criteria. It is important to note that the DPH is prioritizing their vaccinations for this clinic. Clinic staff will do their best to keep those in lines informed regarding the clinic wait times and the availability of vaccine. Heath care professionals recommend children under the age of 10 receive two vaccinations separated by three to four weeks of time. If a child received a vaccination by injection on, or before, Nov. 14, the child should be eligible for a second vaccination at the upcoming Downey clinic. If a child received a vaccination with the flu-mist nose spray on, or before, Nov. 7 the child should be eligible for a second vaccination tomorrow. Parents and guardians of children in need of the second vaccination should bring a copy of the DPH paperwork from the first vaccination, if possible. The clinic is open to those who live throughout the Downey area. Community members from the surrounding cities are welcome. The clinic will not open early, so attendees are NOT encouraged to arrive excessively early. Attendees should know they may experience wait times of over two hours. Considering the wait, attendees may choose to bring a lightweight chair (and something to read) if standing for long periods of time is uncomfortable. Clinic attendees can streamline the registration process by downloading the registration form from the DPH website (www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.) and completing it in advance. The DPH registration forms are available in several different languages. Those who are in a priority group for H1N1 vaccine should bring their completed vaccination form with them to the clinic. Attendees should also remember they will likely need to bare a shoulder for their vaccination; therefore they should wear accommodating attire. The waiting lines for vaccinations are entirely outside. Attendees should be prepared for varying fall weather conditions. There will be congestion in the Woodruff and Imperial Highway area before and during this event. Questions about the Downey H1N1 free flu shot clinic may be directed to ready@downeyca.org. The L.A. County information phone line (211) may also be helpful.

********** Published: December 4, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 32