Sarasota, FL:  scgovHEALTHnews
Sarasota County Health Department Florida Department of Health
www.scgov.net
941.861.5000

Media contacts:
Dianne Shipley, 941-861-2852; cell 941-302-1058; Dianne_Shipley@doh.state.fl.us
Crystal Pruitt, 941-861-5900; cell 941-650-0695; cpruitt@scgov.net
Scott Ferguson, 941-927-9000, ext. 31148; Scott_Ferguson@sarasota.k12.fl.us

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Clinics for Elementary and Pre-K Sstudents Begin

The Sarasota County Health Department (SCHD) is working with school district officials to begin offering H1N1 flu vaccinations to elementary-age students at public schools in the county. The vaccine is voluntary and is not a required vaccine for school attendance. A parent/legal guardian must accompany their elementary-school-age child/children who will be receiving the vaccine at after-school and Saturday clinics. Health officials say that the H1N1 vaccination clinics listed below are open to those who attend public and private schools as well as home-schooled students. Parents/legal guardians of elementary school students should bring the consent form with them when they accompany their child/children to these vaccination sites.

Health officials emphasize that these scheduled clinics are for elementary and Pre-K school children only. Vaccinations will be scheduled at middle schools and high schools in the near future.

“We plan to have a supply of vaccine available on both Friday and Saturday, so parents can take their time in getting to the clinics,” said Chuck Henry, incident commander for the county’s H1N1 vaccination response.” To avoid traffic congestion during school dismissal times, parents are urged to wait until 4 p.m. or later on Friday, or until Saturday where vaccine will be available at selected sites. Law enforcement officers will be available to direct traffic and assist in keeping the flow of people coming into the parking lots orderly.”

3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 and 13
For elementary and Pre-K students at the following locations:

Emma E. Booker Elementary School
2350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Way, Sarasota

Tuttle Elementary School
(Media interviews at this location)
2863 8th Street, Sarasota

Ashton Elementary School
5110 Ashton Road, Sarasota

Garden Elementary School
(Media interviews at this location)
700 Center Road, Venice

Laurel Nokomis School
1900 East Laurel Road, Nokomis

Cranberry Elementary School
(Media interviews at this location)
2775 Shalimar Terrace, North Port

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 and 14
For elementary and Pre-K students at the following locations:

Cranberry Elementary School
(Media interviews at this location)
2775 Shalimar Terrace, North Port

Laurel Nokomis School
1900 East Laurel Road, Nokomis

Children’s Health Center
(Media interviews at this location)
Glasser Schoenbaum Human Services Center
1750 17th St., Bldg. E, Sarasota

Sarasota County Health and Human Services
2200 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota

Children age 9 and under will need two doses, given at least three weeks apart, to get the best protection. Parents will be advised about locations in the community for the second vaccine.

The Sarasota County Health Department and community partners will offer drive-through and walk-in vaccine clinics to everyone once ample supplies of vaccine have arrived in the county. This is likely to be sometime after Thanksgiving.

The school vaccine clinic information will be posted on the following Web sites:
Sarasota County Health Department www.sarasotahealth.org
Sarasota County School District http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/

Parent with questions can call 941-927-9000, ext. 32101 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Information on H1N1 vaccine availability for the general population will be available on www.sarasotahealth.org. Those who do not have access to a computer can visit the health kiosks at local libraries across the county. Residents can also call the Flu Information Line,
941-861-2800, or the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 later in November. The Sarasota County Call Center has a TDD line, 941-861-1833, available for those who are hearing impaired. People can also call the Florida Flu Information Line for general questions about H1N1. That toll-free number is 877-352-3581.

MEDIA NOTE: Please note that these scheduled clinics are for elementary and Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) school children only. As additional vaccine is received, flu vaccination clinics will be scheduled for other populations in the community. Media can get interviews and photos from consenting parents at the following locations: Tuttle Elementary in Sarasota, Garden Elementary in Venice and Cranberry Elementary in North Port only. Media who go to other school sites may be redirected to the three schools listed above since public information staff will be limited.