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Vaccine shots in drive-throughs would be safer and faster, according to a task force.
Vaccine shots in drive-throughs would be safer and faster, according to a task force.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bflu02.3db160a.html
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bflu02.3db160a.html
East Valley disaster-planning officials are working on a new way to provide a vaccine to residents in the event of a widespread flu outbreak.
Instead of having residents of Redlands, Highland, Loma Linda and Yucaipa congregate in school gymnasiums, convention centers or fairgrounds to get a vaccine, as other local jurisdictions may do, they're pushing for drive-through vaccine facilities.
Residents will pull in, get directions at one station, give their health information at a second station and stick an arm out the window for a shot at the third.
The goal is to prevent disease from spreading as people wait in line for a shot, officials said.
"That way we keep people in their cars, we keep people from talking to one another -- they just come in, get their shots and go home," said Redlands Fire Department Battalion Chief Mitch McKee, who oversees disaster preparedness for the city.
McKee is a member of San Bernardino County's Community Readiness Initiative Task Force. The group has been working for the past six months to compile a list of "points of dispensation," or pods, for flu vaccine in the event of a pandemic or epidemic, said Dr. Eric Frykman, county health officer.
The last flu pandemic was in 1968, according to the U.S. Department of Human Services. The world also experienced flu pandemics in 1918 and 1957.
The Community Readiness Initiative is funded with $600,000 in federal disaster preparedness money. Frykman said the goal is to be capable of dispensing vaccines or other medicines throughout the county within two days. The system could be used any time local public health officials need to dispense a treatment on a large scale, he said, including in bio-terrorism incidents.
"Historically, we haven't been able to do this very well," Frykman said. "The geography of the county is a barrier."
So far, Frykman said, the East Valley cities are the only place in San Bernardino County planning for drive-through vaccination sites.
"They're ahead of most other parts of the county in thinking about this," Frykman said.
McKee said Redlands has identified four primary drive-through vaccination sites and four secondary sites as backup. Loma Linda has identified three sites, he said.
Because Redlands Community Hospital has used drive-through vaccine clinics for seasonal flu shots, McKee said, members of the city-sponsored Redlands Disaster Council were familiar with that strategy. Corona Regional Medical Center also has used drive-through flu clinics.
"If we're really dealing with a pandemic and people are presenting some signs of illness, at least we can keep it contained in the vehicle," said Brenda Brennan, an emergency room nurse and Redlands Disaster Council volunteer for the past three years.
McKee said the Redlands sites haven't been finalized yet, but they most likely will be on major streets to allow officials to coordinate the flow of traffic more easily. Officials hope to have the capacity to inoculate 750 people an hour.
Officials want to identify areas where many residents don't have cars, McKee said, so alternate plans may be made for them. Nurses could travel to locations like retirement homes, he said. A public education program would target lower-income neighborhoods where residents might have more difficulty finding transportation to the drive-in clinic.
Instead of having residents of Redlands, Highland, Loma Linda and Yucaipa congregate in school gymnasiums, convention centers or fairgrounds to get a vaccine, as other local jurisdictions may do, they're pushing for drive-through vaccine facilities.
Residents will pull in, get directions at one station, give their health information at a second station and stick an arm out the window for a shot at the third.
The goal is to prevent disease from spreading as people wait in line for a shot, officials said.
"That way we keep people in their cars, we keep people from talking to one another -- they just come in, get their shots and go home," said Redlands Fire Department Battalion Chief Mitch McKee, who oversees disaster preparedness for the city.
McKee is a member of San Bernardino County's Community Readiness Initiative Task Force. The group has been working for the past six months to compile a list of "points of dispensation," or pods, for flu vaccine in the event of a pandemic or epidemic, said Dr. Eric Frykman, county health officer.
The last flu pandemic was in 1968, according to the U.S. Department of Human Services. The world also experienced flu pandemics in 1918 and 1957.
The Community Readiness Initiative is funded with $600,000 in federal disaster preparedness money. Frykman said the goal is to be capable of dispensing vaccines or other medicines throughout the county within two days. The system could be used any time local public health officials need to dispense a treatment on a large scale, he said, including in bio-terrorism incidents.
"Historically, we haven't been able to do this very well," Frykman said. "The geography of the county is a barrier."
So far, Frykman said, the East Valley cities are the only place in San Bernardino County planning for drive-through vaccination sites.
"They're ahead of most other parts of the county in thinking about this," Frykman said.
McKee said Redlands has identified four primary drive-through vaccination sites and four secondary sites as backup. Loma Linda has identified three sites, he said.
Because Redlands Community Hospital has used drive-through vaccine clinics for seasonal flu shots, McKee said, members of the city-sponsored Redlands Disaster Council were familiar with that strategy. Corona Regional Medical Center also has used drive-through flu clinics.
"If we're really dealing with a pandemic and people are presenting some signs of illness, at least we can keep it contained in the vehicle," said Brenda Brennan, an emergency room nurse and Redlands Disaster Council volunteer for the past three years.
McKee said the Redlands sites haven't been finalized yet, but they most likely will be on major streets to allow officials to coordinate the flow of traffic more easily. Officials hope to have the capacity to inoculate 750 people an hour.
Officials want to identify areas where many residents don't have cars, McKee said, so alternate plans may be made for them. Nurses could travel to locations like retirement homes, he said. A public education program would target lower-income neighborhoods where residents might have more difficulty finding transportation to the drive-in clinic.