Skiff plans free clinic with H1N1 vaccines
Skiff Medical Center and Jasper County Public Health will host an H1N1 vaccination clinic from 4 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 8.
The clinic will be in the Skiff Specialty Clinic on the main level of the Ross Medical Arts Building, 300 N. Fourth Ave. E.
The H1N1 vaccinations will be given on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible people. The vaccine will be administered by nurses from the Jasper County Public Health Nursing Service/Skiff Home Care.
In order to receive the vaccine, people must meet one of the following priority group criteria established by the Iowa Department of Public Health:
• People ages 6 months through 24 years
• People ages 25 through 64 years who are at higher risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems
• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
• Health-care and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel
Jennifer Jordan, director of Jasper County Public Health, reminds parents that children ages 6 months through 9 years are recommended to receive two doses of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine.
The Iowa Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that the two doses of the vaccine be separated by 28 days (four weeks); that means for many children, it is time to administer their second dose.
“The first dose essentially prepares the child’s immune system for the second dose,” Jordan said. “It’s the second one that provides full protection against the virus.”
For more information about the H1N1 vaccination clinic, contact the Jasper County Public Health Nursing Service by phone at (641) 792-5086.
