Politics & Government

H1N1 Clinic Planned for Nov. 16

Limited amount of vaccine released by federal government limits vaccinations to those in target population.

A limited amount of H1N1 vaccine produced, and released by the federal government, will limit the two vaccination clinics announced by the Westfield Regional Health Department to those in the targeted population.

Health Officer Megan Avallone made the announcement Monday night during a meeting of the Boards of Health in the department's eight town coverage area which includes Summit. The first clinic is scheduled for November 10 at Westfield High School from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the second on November 16 at Summit High School from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Avallone said that while the federal government has ordered drug companies to focus solely on manufacturing H1N1 vaccine, enough vaccine has not been produced for the entire population. In addition the vaccine has to travel a bureaucratic highway before reaching Westfield, through the federal, state and county health departments. Working with county health officials, Avallone is borrowing vaccine in order to schedule the two clinics. She is expecting to have 2,000 doses of the nasal spray and 1,500 doses of the injectable vaccine available. The nasal spray, which is a live version of the vaccine, will be available in Westfield and the injectable version, which is an inactive version of the flu, will be available in Summit.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The target population is pregnant women, all individuals between six months old and 24 years old, those between 25 and 64 with chronic health conditions, caregivers of infants under six months old and licensed health care workers with direct patient contact. With the federal government paying for the vaccines, there are more controls in place on who can get the vaccine.

"This is a federal vaccine," Avallone said in her briefing to the board members. "Every single dose is accounted for. Every single dose has to go to someone in the target population."

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Avallone needs to enter each dose's patient into a federal database after the clinics.

Avallone said the doses will be self policed when they are handed out. She said there is no procedure in place to stop someone from saying they are in the target population when they are not. She is hoping that residents realize the consequences of being vaccinated when they are not in the target population.

"If they lie it will take a vaccine from someone who could die if they don't get it," Avallone said in an interview with Patch after the meeting.

The first two clinic locations were picked based on geography and space. Westfield was chosen as the hometown of the department and the size of the space in the high school. Summit was chosen primarily based on the size of the high school. With hundreds of people expected and the possibility of inclement weather, Avallone wanted to make sure there was ample indoor space for people to wait.

Avallone said more clinics will be planned as more vaccine becomes available. As more clinics are announced they will be moved to the other towns served by the department. As more vaccine is released by the federal government, more of the population can receive the vaccine. The federal government has announced plans to have enough H1N1 vaccine available for those who wish to receive it. Avallone said she expects the clinics to go over the course of several months.

Since the vaccines are federally funded, there is no limit on who can receive them at the Westfield and Summit clinics. While the seasonal flu shots can be limited to residents of the department's coverage area, because the department funded the doses, the federally funded vaccine is open to any U.S. resident.

"Any resident of New Jersey can go anywhere in New Jersey or the country to get the vaccine," Avallone said. "That also means that anyone in the country can come to Westfield or Garwood for the vaccine."

Avallone said that while some health departments are looking to limit the doses to those in the towns, it would put the department at risk of losing federal funds for the clinics. She said her department will be adhering to all federal regulations on the use of the funds. The Westfield health department is in line to receive approximately $250,000 in federal funds for the clinics.

The department had originally planned to do in-school vaccinations clinics but scrapped the plan for several reasons. Avallone said there was concern about giving out vaccines without parents present and the logistical challenges of school based clinics were tough. With the limited amount of vaccines available now, Avallone said it was impossible to prioritize which schools should get the clinics first.

Avallone said she is currently preparing for what she is expecting will be a large crowd for the clinics. This includes bringing extra police in for security. She noted that her department had large amounts of people show up to seasonal flu clinics this year. She said she continues to get phone calls from people asking when the H1N1 vaccines are due in Westfield.

The calls have increased as state health statistics have shown more H1N1 cases being diagnosed in New Jersey. Other parts of the country have been getting the vaccine earlier, primarily because of the home rule aspects of New Jersey, which has the vaccine traveling through multiple layers of government before reaching the local health agencies.

"New Jersey residents are fed up with waiting," she said.


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