Panhandle Health District

                                                            8500 N. Atlas Road         Hayden, Idaho  83835

www.phd1.idaho.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        Date:     December 3, 2009                     

Contact:                                                              Released by: Jeanne Bock, Director                     

Cynthia Taggart

Public Information Officer

(208) 415-5108

(208) 818-7288 (cell)

H1N1 Vaccination Clinics for All People Under Age 65

Hayden—The Panhandle Health District (PHD) will hold vaccination clinics for H1N1 in each of the five northern counties on Saturday, Dec. 12, for everyone younger than 65 years old. There is no charge for the vaccination.

Appointments can be made by calling the toll-free appointment line—877-415-5225—on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Clinic locations will be given at that time. Everyone expecting a vaccination will need to fill out a brief consent form. No insurance information is required. Consent forms are available at each clinic or can be printed off the PHD website—www.phd1.idaho.gov—and filled out at home to move through the vaccination process quicker.

While the Dec. 12 clinics are open to anyone younger than age 65, PHD encourages all people in the target groups to get vaccinated.  The target groups are:

• Pregnant women;
• People who live with and/or care for children younger than 6 months old;
• Anyone from age 6 months through 24 years;
• Healthcare and emergency response workers; and
• People from age 25 through 64 with chronic health conditions.

“We are anxious to provide protection to more people before the holidays,” said Jeanne Bock, PHD director. “We’ve had many calls from people outside the target groups who want the vaccine. Now that we have enough vaccine and have satisfied most of the target population, we are expanding vaccinations to include healthy adults under the age of 65.  We know that many over the age 65 wish to be vaccinated and we expect to have vaccine for those over 65 years of age shortly.”

The vaccine is available as flu shots and nasal mist.

Clinics on Dec. 12 will be held:

• 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Boundary, Benewah and Shoshone counties;
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Bonner County;
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Post Falls
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Hayden.

For updates on vaccination clinics and H1N1 in northern Idaho, visit www.phd1.idaho.gov or call PHD’s toll-free H1N1 hotline at 1-866-528-3501.