TheFluMaster
Resident
Flu clinic is a real shot in the arm
By Patty Machelor
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.03.2006
advertisementCounty health workers and volunteers immunized 250 children with flu vaccine in one hour Saturday, the goal for a "pandemic preparedness" drill at a South Side neighborhood center.
"It's amazing how well they've done,'' said Dr. Vincent Fulginiti, a retired Tucson pediatrician and co-director of the Medical Reserve Corps of Southern Arizona.
Fulginiti said performing such a drill was important to prepare for any health crisis or bioterrorism as well as seeing how to run regular clinics better.
Avoiding bottlenecks and making sure staffing levels were adequate were two of the goals for Saturday, said John Farlow, a Pima County Health Department spokesman.
"The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) wanted us to test how fast we could move 500 through,'' he said. "We've done flu clinics before, but this is the first time we've measured how fast we could get people through."
During the event's second hour, there weren't enough clients to reach the 500 mark, Farlow said.
In the end, 327 children received the free vaccinations.
The results will also help determine how many shot clinics would be needed here in a flu pandemic, he said.
South Side resident Anna Lopez said her 13-month-old son, Emmanuel, cried only for a moment when he received the shot.
"We decided to go because they didn't have any more (vaccine) at the clinic where I take him,'' she said.
She said that last year her son became quite ill with a fever and cough, so she decided to have him vaccinated this year.
For Raul Chavarria, 11, and his brother, Luis, 10, it was a relief that the vaccinations for older children were dispensed by a nasal spray, not a shot.
The clinic, at El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, was for anyone between 6 months and 18 years.
D-M exercise to evaluate U.S. military readiness.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/158778
By Patty Machelor
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.03.2006
advertisementCounty health workers and volunteers immunized 250 children with flu vaccine in one hour Saturday, the goal for a "pandemic preparedness" drill at a South Side neighborhood center.
"It's amazing how well they've done,'' said Dr. Vincent Fulginiti, a retired Tucson pediatrician and co-director of the Medical Reserve Corps of Southern Arizona.
Fulginiti said performing such a drill was important to prepare for any health crisis or bioterrorism as well as seeing how to run regular clinics better.
Avoiding bottlenecks and making sure staffing levels were adequate were two of the goals for Saturday, said John Farlow, a Pima County Health Department spokesman.
"The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) wanted us to test how fast we could move 500 through,'' he said. "We've done flu clinics before, but this is the first time we've measured how fast we could get people through."
During the event's second hour, there weren't enough clients to reach the 500 mark, Farlow said.
In the end, 327 children received the free vaccinations.
The results will also help determine how many shot clinics would be needed here in a flu pandemic, he said.
South Side resident Anna Lopez said her 13-month-old son, Emmanuel, cried only for a moment when he received the shot.
"We decided to go because they didn't have any more (vaccine) at the clinic where I take him,'' she said.
She said that last year her son became quite ill with a fever and cough, so she decided to have him vaccinated this year.
For Raul Chavarria, 11, and his brother, Luis, 10, it was a relief that the vaccinations for older children were dispensed by a nasal spray, not a shot.
The clinic, at El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, was for anyone between 6 months and 18 years.
D-M exercise to evaluate U.S. military readiness.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/158778