Richmond health officials are partnering with Bon Secours Richmond Health System to offer a series of H1N1 flu-vaccine clinics at public-housing developments to reach more children.
Richmond will supply the vaccine, while Bon Secours Care-A-Van staff will administer vaccinations. The first clinic will run 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday in Gilpin Court.
"We have focused on the school population, and we had much higher uptake rate in the private schools than in the public schools," said Dr. Danny Avula, Richmond Health District deputy director.
"So the more effort we could make to really specifically target the populations that were hard to penetrate or where cultural barriers existed, the better," Avula said.
Minority groups, including African-Americans and Hispanics, generally lag behind whites in getting flu shots, according to national surveys of health behaviors.
Vaccine fears were stirred up this year, as well, when popular urban radio talk show host Michael Baisden raised questions about H1N1 vaccine safety. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went on the show to offer perspective. Baisden's show airs locally on station WKJS (105.7 FM).
"A lot of those comments came several months ago at the beginning of this whole process when there were a lot of questions across the board" about vaccine safety, Avula said.
Avula said that since then, the impact of H1N1 on the community in terms of disease and hospitalizations has become more apparent, while the vaccine is causing no more reactions than seasonal-flu shots.
"We've vaccinated close to 12,000 people in the city and we have not had any incidents of severe adverse reactions," Avula said.
Other scheduled dates for the Bon Secours Care-A-Van H1N1 flu-shot clinics in Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority communities include:
- Fairfield Court, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday;
- Hillside Court, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. , Dec. 19; and
- Whitcomb Court, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Dec. 20.
The Richmond Health District also is partnering with the nursing school at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College to offer H1N1 vaccinations noon to 4 p.m. tomorrow. at the college's downtown and Parham Road campuses. In addition, a walk-in clinic for priority groups will be held 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the city health department's main office at 400 E. Cary St.
Residents in priority categories also can make appointments to get an H1N1 flu shot weekdays at the 400 E. Cary St. location or at Southside Community Service Center, 4100 Hull St. Call 482-5506 to make an appointment at either location
There have been 34 H1N1-related deaths in Virginia -- 31 of adults and three of children. According to the state Health Department, all except one had an underlying health condition.
Flu activity is still widespread across the state, but visits to hospital emergency departments and urgent-care centers represent about 4 percent of all visits, far lower than the 15 percent of a month ago.
Contact Tammie Smith at (804) 649-6572 or TLsmith@timesdispatch.com.
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