Clinic arms masses for flu season

Hundreds of citizens heeded the health departments call Thursday to roll up their sleeves to fight flu season at the final mass immunization clinic at the county fairgrounds.

According to Jennifer Rankosky, public information officer for the event, the timing was perfect with a few weeks left before Thanksgiving.

It takes up to two weeks to take effect so its really a good time to do it, she said.

While Thanksgiving and Christmas signal merry-making for most, public health officials await the viruses brought back by holiday travelers. The second large clinic helped them prepare the public.

We can do so many more people in this facility, Joe Russell, department director, said.

By 4 p.m., the clinic had vaccinated 1,518 people while many still waited in line. Russell noted that clinic visitors included many senior citizens at risk for complications of the flu.

There are people here who should have been here three weeks ago, he said.

Each year, about 36,000 people die in the United States as a result of complications of the flu.

Upon questioning elderly people, Russell learned many had decided to wait to make certain less-healthy citizens received their immunizations first. He recalled the same thing happened during the vaccine shortages last year.

Those shortages prompted the Centers for Disease Control to change vaccine guidelines this year. First priority was given to people 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions.

As a result, the departments October clinic was limited to vaccinating these first tier populations.

So far this year, vaccine supplies have met the demand. However, at least one Montana county Cascade hasnt received the number of doses ordered.

Flathead County stayed with the same supplier used in past years as a hedge to ensure priority for its vaccine orders this year.

Its still a supply-side distribution system, Russell said.

The department brought 2,500 doses to Thursdays clinic. Public health officials had hoped to administer most of the vaccine at the daylong event where volunteers augmented county health department staffers.

Boni Stout, director of community health, said vaccine left over will go back to the department for distribution at the departments regular immunization clinics. People should call before coming in.

We might not have vaccine, Stout warned.

Along with convenience to the public, the mass clinics served a secondary role as rehearsals of emergency responses to bioterrorism event or a pandemic. On Thursday, local paramedics administered shots alongside nurses.

Its within the scope of their training, Russell said.

Pandemic and bioterrorism planning sessions held over the last few years determined that the volume of people needing vaccinations in such an event would outnumber nurses available to give shots. The idea evolved to use paramedics to span the gap.

Russell said recent outbreaks of avian flu make the training particularly timely.

When it comes to a flu pandemic, its more a matter of when rather than if, he said.

Rankosky said Thursdays clinic ran like clockwork.

We were able to set up in an hour, she said.

As part of the mass clinic practice, each person involved in the event was photographed for an identification tag and outfitted with a vest color-coded according to the persons assignment.

Volunteers directed traffic, triaged people at the door, registered and collected payments, gave shots and collected comments from people exiting the clinic.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.