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The Arlington Health Department would like to thank all participants in last week’s H1N1 and Seasonal Flu clinic at Arlington High School. There was a tremendous demand, specifically for the H1N1 vaccine. Cooperation by both those seeking the vaccine and the tremendous teamwork displayed by clinic organizers and volunteers allowed for a successful clinic.
The department vaccinated 1,878 Arlington residents against H1N1 flu and 469 residents against seasonal flu last Wednesday night, December 30th. Over 85 volunteers from the Arlington Medical Reserve Corps, Armstrong Ambulance, Organizing for Arlington, Arlington Emergency Management as well as town personnel from the Health Department, School Nursing Department, Police, Fire, and Department of Public Works came together to run the clinic and vaccinate residents in just three hours. Preparation such as bringing in completed forms and wearing short-sleeved shirts by persons seeking vaccinations also helped expedite the wait times.
Prior to running the public clinic, the Health Department in partnership with the Arlington Public School Nursing Department, ran vaccination clinics in each of the public schools in Town. During the school based vaccination clinics, over 2,500 Arlington public school children were vaccinated against H1N1 with assistance from the Arlington Medical Reserve Corps as well as Armstrong Ambulance paramedics. H1N1 vaccine was slow to arrive to Arlington as was the case in cities and towns across the country. The Health Department began vaccination efforts in schools as suggested by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The Health Department has been practicing plans to improve efficiency at vaccination clinics for many years. Each vaccination effort is entirely run by volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps as well as a number of other participating agencies. The Medical Reserve Corps is made up of medical and non-medical volunteers who live in Arlington. “We are quite fortunate in Arlington to have so many dedicated volunteers,” said Christine Connolly, Director of Health and Human Services. “Without the participation of these volunteers, the Health Department would not be able to run vaccination clinics to protect its residents.”
Additional clinics are being considered. The department will continue to post clinic information , including neighboring communities, on the flu clinic hotline 781-316-3413 and the Town website at arlingtonma.gov/health. To be alerted of an upcoming clinic via email, subscribe to Town of Arlington Notices here.
“Flu is unpredictable, and we don’t know yet whether we’ll see another wave of illness this flu season,” said Connolly, “it’s important that we continue our efforts to provide as many opportunities as we can for residents to get vaccinated – this year, more than ever.”
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