Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: November 16, 2007

Flu Clinics to Test Emergency Vaccination Dispensing Systems in Three Municipalities

Three Rhode Island municipalities (Lincoln, North Kingstown and West Warwick) will hold flu clinics to test their plans for getting vaccinations or medications to residents in the event of a public health emergency, such as a pandemic. These exercises, which will provide seasonal flu vaccinations to members of the public at no cost to the patient, are designed to help better prepare the state for responding to emergencies and are a collaborative effort of the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH), the municipalities, and The Wellness Company, a Rhode Island based medical services agency.

“These clinics provide an excellent opportunity, not only to vaccinate people against flu this season, but to test how things might run if we needed to vaccinate many people quickly, in their own city or town, during a flu pandemic or other public health emergency,” said Director of Health, David R. Gifford, MD, MPH.

Each municipality in the state is responsible for developing and testing a “Point of Dispensing” or  POD plan that addresses important issues like security, staffing, communications, and accommodations for people with special needs, while delivering medications and/or vaccines in the most effective and efficient manner. Each event will take place at the designated POD site for the respective community.

“During these drills, we want to acknowledge the aspects of each POD plan that work well,” said HEALTH Chief of the Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, L. Anthony Cirillo, MD, FACEP. “At the same time, we also want to identify areas that may need improvement.”

All Rhode Islanders are invited to participate in one of the following planned events to receive a flu shot:
Wednesday, November 28 – 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., North Kingstown High School, 100 Fairway Drive
Saturday, December 1 – 9 a.m. – noon, Lincoln High School, 135 Old River Road
Tuesday, December 4 – 3 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., West Warwick Civic Center, 100 Factory Street

Participants must bring a photo ID in order to receive a flu vaccination, and should bring their insurance card if they have one. Children under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. For more information about the events, people can call the HEALTH Information Line at 1-800-942-7434. All participants will be required to fill out a patient assessment form. For those who have access to the Internet, the forms are available on-line prior to the clinics at http://www.health.ri.gov/flu/PatientAssessmentForm.pdf