Do I have the flu?

Brush Family Medicine will offer H1N1 flu vaccinations to eligible members of the community on a first-come, first-served basis on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 8:30 a. m. to noon and from 1 to 4:30 p. m. Brush Family Medicine is located at 2400 W. Edison in Brush. Appointments are not necessary; however, the vaccine clinic will close once all available vaccine supply has been administered. Only those individuals who have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and theColorado Public Health Department as being highest risk will be eligible for vaccines on Thursday. They are:People who are high priority for H1N1 injectable (shots):• Health care workers with direct patient contact. • Parents/caregivers for infants up to 6 months of age. • All preschool children ages 6 months to 4 years. • All pregnant women. • Children ages 5 through 18 with chronic medical conditions. • Adults ages 25 to 64 with underlying risks, including those with chronic heart or lung disease such as asthma or reactive airway disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or individuals with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system. People who can receive flu mist (live vaccines) include:• Healthy individuals ages 2 through 49 who are not pregnant. Those who should not receive flu mist include:• Children less than 2 years of age. • People ages 50 and over. • Individuals with medical conditions that place them at high risk for complications from influenza,including those with heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airway disease; people with medicalconditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; individuals with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system. • Caretakers of individuals with weakened immune systems or who take medication that can weaken the immune system. • Children under age 5 with a history of recurrent wheezing. • Children or adolescents receiving aspirin. • People with a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome that occurred after receiving influenza vaccine. • Pregnant women. • People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs or who are allergic to any of the nasal spray vaccine components. There will be a $25 administrative fee for administering the vaccine. Co-pays will be collected at the time. Clinic staff will bill insurance for those receiving the vaccine. Clinic staff asks those who plan to receive vaccines on Thursday to stop by the clinic prior to Thursday to pick up adult and children’s consent forms. These forms should be completed prior to Thursday’s clinic. For more information, contact Brush Family Medicine at (970) 842-6262. For more information about influenza, visit www. BannerHealth. com, keyword: flu. Fort Morgan clinic SaturdayThe Northeast Colorado Health Department has scheduled a large walk-in H1N1 vaccination clinic on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Fort Morgan. This public clinic will be held at Fort Morgan High School, 709 E. Riverview Ave. , and will run from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. or until the vaccine runs out. People attending this clinic should park in the lot on the northwest side of the building and enter through the northwest doors. H1N1 vaccinations from NCHD are free of charge. While the department expects to have around 700 doses available, it will be a mixture of the live nasal spray vaccine as well as the inactivated shot vaccine. Although the groups of individuals receiving vaccine has expanded, doses are still limited and they will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Those people eligible to receive vaccine now include:• Pregnant women. • People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age. • All health care and emergency medical services personnel. • All people from 6 months through 24 years of age. • People aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza. Vaccinations will not be given during this large clinic to individuals that do not fall into one of the above categories. To speed up the process of a large walk-in clinic, residents are urged to visit the health department’s Web site, www. nchd. org, and print out the appropriate H1N1 consent forms listed on the front page. There are two forms listed in both English and Spanish, one for adults age 18 and over and one for children.   A separate consent form must be filled out for each person receiving a vaccination. Those who print and fill out the forms prior to showing up at the clinic will move through the check-in process faster. “Since we have received less vaccine than anticipated we are just now getting the opportunity to open large clinics,” said John Crosthwait, NCHD’s district public health administrator. “We have already held one of these clinics in Sterling and have plans to hold similar clinics in Phillips, Sedgwick and Yuma counties in December, but the availability of vaccine, which changes on a weekly basis, will play a major role in our ability to do so. ”According to Crosthwait, more than 12,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine has already been distributed in NCHD’s six-county health district. In addition to public health, many private health care providers and local hospitals have taken active roles in their communities to help get the vaccine to those individuals most at risk for severe illness. “I think the vaccine situation has proven to be frustrating to a number of our residents, but we are working with our area partners to ensure we’re doing all we can to offer the vaccinations as soon as possible to those most at risk,” said Crosthwait. “For those of you who are not yet eligible to receive a vaccine or have chosen not to receive one, please continue to stay home when you’re ill, wash your hands and cover your coughs. ”

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