Nov. 7--A full schedule of swine flu clinics is at the end of this story.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Some local middle and high schools will be holding swine flu vaccine clinics as early as Nov. 16.
Originally the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department said it would not start vaccinating healthy older children until all elementary and preschool children had gotten the vaccine, but county and city paramedics have recently volunteered to help, allowing some clinics to jump forward a few weeks.
"It's not a matter of shifting resources. It's a matter of using new ones that have come upon us," said Kanawha County's Chief Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta. "We already have the day cares and elementaries planned out with the Health Department nurses and the Cabin Creek Health System, so we're not changing anything," he said.
The Health Department recently added a calendar to its Web site that details where and when all of the swine flu vaccination clinics will be held through the end of the month. The first middle school to get the vaccine will be Cedar Grove on Nov. 16.
"We were going to do the high schools and middles afterwards, but then when the plan developed with the county and city, we decided to go ahead right now," he said. "Why delay their immunization? We have an extra pair of hands now."
The most important thing is to get young people vaccinated against the virus and the paramedics will help them achieve that goal a little earlier, Gupta said.
Gupta said that sending the paramedics to the older schools also was a matter of matching. "We thought sending grown men into the day cares wasn't the best idea and they would do better with the older kids," he said. "They're pitching in to help us. Now they can be community role models for the teenagers and help give the shot."
Additionally, Gupta said plans to start moving ahead with clinics at area colleges are in the works and should start in the next week or so. The Health Department also may start holding special Saturday clinics for day care kids, but the details are still being worked out.
Shipments of the swine flu vaccine have been steady, enabling the Health Department to plan the clinics almost a month in advance. As of Nov. 4, Kanawha County had received 21,571 doses of the vaccine, with the newest shipment totaling 6,700.
For more information about the swine flu clinics, visit www.kchdwv.org.
Reach Kathryn Gregory at kathryng@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5119.
Locations and dates through Nov. 30:
Monday:
Weimer Elementary
Alban Elementary
Pratt Elementary
Sharon Dawes Elementary
Tuesday:
Anne Bailey Elementary
Andrew Heights Elementary
Chesapeake Elementary
Marmet Elementary
Wednesday:
Veterans Day -- No in-school clinics
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department -- clinic for high-risk adults with chronic conditions age 19 to 64 -- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday:
St. Francis Elementary
Belle Elementary
Midland Trail Elementary
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department -- clinic for high-risk children and pregnant women -- 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Friday:
Lakewood Elementary
Central Elementary
Mary Ingles Elementary
Malden Elementary
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department -- clinic for health-care workers who have direct patient contact -- 1 to 6 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 16:
Kanawha City Elementary
Chamberlain Elementary
St. Agnes Elementary
Cedar Grove Elementary
Cedar Grove Middle
Tuesday, Nov. 17:
Cross Lanes Elementary
Nitro Elementary
East Bank Middle
Dupont Middle
Wednesday, Nov. 18:
Point Harmony Elementary
Cross Lanes Christian Elementary
Riverside High
Thursday, Nov. 19:
Bridgeview Elementary
Dunbar Intermediate
Herbert Hoover High
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department -- clinic for high-risk children and pregnant women -- 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 20:
Dunbar Primary
Sissonville Middle and High
Monday, Nov. 23:
Richmond Elementary
Montrose Elementary
South Charleston Christian
Tuesday, Nov. 24:
Alum Creek Elementary
Ruthlawn Elementary
Wednesday, Nov. 25:
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department -- clinic for high-risk adults with chronic conditions age 19 to 64 -- 1 to 3 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 30
Holz Elementary
Overbrook Elementary
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