DOWNEY - The City of Downey and the L.A. County Department of Public Health will host a free H1N1 flu-shot clinic tomorrow at the Downey Theatre.The planned clinic hours of operation will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or when the vaccine supply has been distributed). The clinic layout will be similar to the flu-shot clinics held previously in the same location. The availability of a supply of the H1N1 vaccine for this clinic was confirmed, earlier this 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 believes the number of available vaccinations will be similar to the amounts distributed during the October H1N1 clinic 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 11 receive two vaccinations separated by three to four weeks of time. The clinic tomorrow is too soon for a second vaccination if a child received their first vaccination at the Downey clinic held on Oct. 27. 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 exceeding 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 Civic Center area before and during this event. Residents are encouraged to avoid the area if they will not be getting a vaccination or have business in the Civic Center area. The parking area will be posted for the event on Friday evening. Swap meet patrons will be directed to park away from the Civic Center area. The library will be open on Saturday for normal operations. An additional H1N1 flu-shot clinic is planned for Downey on Dec. 5 but the location for this clinic and the vaccine availability has not yet been determined. 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: November 13, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 30