With the traditional flu season approaching, the Hall County Health Department is encouraging residents to get vaccinated by offering a drive-through flu shot clinic on October 17.
The health department will be setting up the mobile clinic at the J.A. Walters Family YMCA, located at 2455 Howard Road in Gainesville, and will be open from 8:00 am to 11:00 am and from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Monday, October 17.
According to Public Information Officer for the Ga District 2 Public Health Office in Gainesville, Dave Palmer, the clinic will make delivering the vaccines more streamlined.
"We actually have a drive-through lane. Folks will pull in, fill out paper work for the flu shot, we advise them of the vaccine they will be giving, and take payment. They then will drive up to a station where they are given the flu shot and they are free to go," Palmer said.
"It is especially helpful for people who have ambulatory issues when they are not able to get around as well using a walker or a cane. It is really convenient for them to just pull up, get their flu shot and be on their way."
Palmer said it is the first time the health department is doing the "drive-through" in Hall County, but it has been done with success in other counties in the district . He said the idea for doing a vaccine drive through is actually two fold.
"We are charged by the Federal Government to be able to dispense medications if we have a disaster and have to provide them to residents in a short amount of time. This is a model we wanted to try, so a few years ago we began this in some of our smaller counties. Hall County is a larger population than most of the counties we have held drive-throughs in. So it will be an experience for us, too," Palmer said.
Cash and some insurance plans will be accepted at the drive through clinic. Payment methods at the health department include cash, credit and debit cards, as well as Medicare, Medicaid, Peachcare, Amerigroup, Well Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Coventry, and United Health Care (state health benefit plan). The health department asks that residents bring an insurance card with them to get a vaccine. The Health Department states Influenza activity usually lasts from October to May in the United States, but can occur at any time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older, who can get vaccinated for influenza, do so each year. The CDC recommends that people who are at higher risk of flu-related complications get vaccinated. These groups include:
- Pregnant women
- Children 6 to 59 months of age
- People 50 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions and weakened immune systems
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- Health care workers
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
- Household contacts and out of home care givers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
The Health Department Office in Hall County is also providing flu shots during their open hours Monday through Friday as well.
