Staff Reports
The Niagara County Health Department will conduct its first H1N1 school immunization clinic from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Starpoint High School, 4363 Mapleton Road, the department said Monday.
The department will vaccinate more than 2,500 district staff, students, their household members and Starpoint residents who fall within the target risk groups. Those target groups include pregnant women, individuals who are 6 months to 24 years of age and household members of infants less than 6 months old.
In an effort to manage limited parking and control the flow of large groups of people, the department said Starpoint administration has scheduled students and their family members who pre-registered into specific times. People without appointments who meet district residency criteria and fall within the target groups should arrive between the hours of 3 and 8:30 p.m.
The department said schools are vital partners in the operation of mass vaccination points of dispensing, or PODs. Their partnerships are valuable in helping the county to reach and protect those individuals who fall into the target risk groups. Schools are ideal locations for conducting PODs because of their accessibility and the central role they play in community activities and events, according to the health department.
Part of the reason is because more than 70,000 children in Niagara County are between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old. Of these, nearly 9,000 are uninsured and 3,600 are underinsured, according to department officials. Children should be able to receive their vaccinations in their physicians’ offices. By conducting mass flu clinics in schools, the Niagara County Department of Health will be able to reach disadvantaged children who would otherwise have no opportunity for vaccination against H1N1 and seasonal flu.
The department said all local superintendents have been invited to join in the operations of school PODs. Many districts are in discussion with the health department to prepare their school communities, and some will be present at Starpoint to observe operations and have their questions answered prior to scheduling their own PODs.
