Will County H1N1 Vaccination Clinics

October 28, 2009 -- John Cicero, Will County Health Director

QUESTION: Explain the vaccination plan for Will County.

ANSWER: The Will County Health Department has scheduled seven clinics around the country. The first one begins this afternoon at three o'clock here at Plainfield Central High School. Tomorrow we will be at Joliet Central High School. A complete list is on our website, www.WillCountyHealth.org.

QUESTION: Some counties are offering appointments, are you?

ANSWER: No, all of our vaccination clinics are walk-ins. You do not need an appointment, and this clinic is free to people who live or work in Will County. We want to help as many people as we can, so aside from waiting in line, we're trying to make this as convenient as possible.

QUESTION: Who can take this vaccine?

ANSWER: As of this morning, Will County only has FluMist. We can give this vaccine to normally healthy people between 2-49 years of age. Pregnant women or people with a medical condition such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease, can not receive this vaccine. Also, FluMist is a live vaccine, so if your doctor does not want you taking a live vaccine, please don't.

QUESTION: When will you have the shots?

ANSWER: We've had daily conversations with the Illinois Department of Public Health, and they have been unable to provide us with a definite answer. Other collar counties have had difficulties with the shot as well. When we receive a shipment-and we will receive one-we will make it available at our clinics. I'd ask the public to check our website, www.WillCounthHealth.org , or our Twitter account (@WillCoHealth). We will announce it when we receive the shots.

QUESTION: When does the clinic begin today?

ANSWER: Our clinic at Plainfield Central High School starts at 3PM. We'll provide vaccination until 9PM tonight. We will keep the same hours tomorrow at Joliet Central High School.

PRESS RELEASE:

WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO DISPENSE H1N1 FLU VACCINE

The H1N1 vaccine will be administered at no cost to the public through a series of community vaccination clinics through December, 2009

The Will County Health Department (WCHD) has received an initial quantity of the H1N1 flu vaccine and will begin dispensing this medication through a series of community vaccination clinics beginning on October 28, 2009. The vaccine will be administered free of charge to people who live and work in Will County.

Because of the limited nationwide supply of H1N1 flu vaccine, WCHD recommends this vaccine to certain priority groups:

· Pregnant women.
· Anyone who cares for children younger than 6 months of age.
· Young people between the age of 6 months and 24 years of age.
· People younger than 64 years of age with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease.

People who are not part of this priority group do not need to receive the H1N1 vaccine at this time. If you presently have a cold or fever, you cannot receive the vaccine. Everyone who wants to receive the vaccine, however, will have the opportunity to do so as the vaccine becomes more available.

"Health agencies around the nation will receive the H1N1 vaccine in multiple shipments each week," said John Cicero, WCHD Executive Director, "Our objective is to distribute the first shipments of vaccine to the priority groups that are most susceptible to this disease. There will be ample supply throughout the flu season, so anyone who wants this vaccine can get it. We want to make sure these priority groups are served first."

Community Vaccination Clinics Announced

The WCHD will conduct community vaccination clinics at the following locations:

· Plainfield Central High School, 24120 West Fort Beggs Drive, Plainfield, 3 PM to 9 PM on both October 28, 2009 and November 16, 2009.

· Joliet Central High School, 201 East Jefferson Street, Joliet, 5:30 PM to 10 PM on October 29, 2009, and 4 PM to 10 PM on November 21, 2009.

· Brooks Middle School, 350 Blair Lane, Bolingbrook, 3 PM to 9 PM on October 30, 2009, and 4 PM to 10 PM on November 24, 2009.

· Joliet West High School, 401 North Larkin Avenue, Joliet, Noon to 6 PM on November 1, 2009 and November 22, 2009.

· Hickory Creek Middle School, 22150 116th Avenue, Frankfort, 3:30 PM to 9:30 PM on November 4, 2009 and December 2, 2009.

· Lockport East High School, 1333 East 7th Street, Lockport, 3 PM to 9 PM on November 9, 2009 and November 30, 2009.

· Crete-Monee High School, 1515 West Exchange Street, Crete, 3 PM to 9 PM on November 10, 2009 and December 1, 2009.

These clinic locations coincide with geographic distribution of confirmed cases of H1N1 flu by the Illinois Department of Public Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control earlier this year.

All dates are subject to change depending upon the availability of the vaccine.

The public can learn more about H1N1 flu, priority groups, and see the complete schedule of community vaccination clinics by visiting www.WillCountyHealth.org/SwineFlu or following the agency on Twitter (@WillCoHealth).

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