Public Health H1N1 clinics start Thursday

The first series of H1N1 influenza clinics organized by the Jefferson County Public Health Service will begin Thursday.

Emergency first responders can go to the Public Health Facility, 531 Meade St., from 4:45 to 7:45 p.m. for both the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations.

That will be followed by H1N1 clinics Friday at Faith Fellowship Christian School and for pregnant women at 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Public Health Facility. All of the clinics are free.

"Pregnant women are at a higher risk for complications if they get H1N1," said Donna R. Grant, supervising nurse. "So the vaccination will decrease her risk while also conferring some immunity on that baby."

That clinic will have preservative-free shots, which are preferred by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for pregnant women, while supplies last.

The injections with and without the preservative are safe for pregnant women, Mrs. Grant said.

The service waited to schedule the clinics until it received enough doses of the vaccine. It received 500 doses of spray vaccine Oct. 6. But Monday, it collected 1,700 doses of injectable and spray vaccine.

The clinics target priority populations for the vaccine. Clinics for the general public will be scheduled later as more doses arrive.

But the department does have more seasonal flu vaccines available. Individuals can get the vaccine every Wednesday at the Public Health Facility for $35 or free for children.

The service chose the location for the first school clinic because of the small number of students at Faith Fellowship.

"It will give us a better idea exactly what will happen with the different paperwork," Mrs. Grant said. "We'll get the process down pat."

Steven A. Jennings, public information officer, said other school clinics are being scheduled and the public will be notified.

As the service goes into the schools, staff will be noting how many children will need a second dose. According to the CDC, children 6 months to 9 years old should receive a second dose of the vaccine three to four weeks after the initial one.

"We are not scheduling the second clinics out until we get the first ones done," Mrs. Grant said.

This series of clinics will use only Public Health staff. The service is expecting to bring on volunteers and temporary staff for later clinics.

The county Board of Legislature's Finance and Rules Committee passed a resolution at its meeting Wednesday afternoon to authorize the service to bring additional help on and be covered by the county's general liability insurance. That resolution will be considered by the full board Tuesday night.

In response to a need for storage, the service has purchased a refrigerator.

"It is more than twice the size of our current refrigerator," Mrs. Grant said. "It is adequate to hold the entire supply we need."