Published: November 04, 2009 12:20 am      

County H1N1 clinics begin

DANVILLE — Suffering from chronic bronchitis puts Cindy Masulis of Danville in one of the risk groups for the H1N1 virus.

But standing in line outside South View Elementary School, the local woman had more than her own health in mind as she waited for a vaccination.

“I have an 11-week old granddaughter and I’m around her and I want to make sure she’s safe,” Masulis as she moved steadily up the line. “You want everybody to be safe.”

The numbers in line weren’t overwhelming for health department workers as the first of eight scheduled clinics to administer the H1N1 virus opened almost 15 minutes early Tuesday afternoon. Within a half-hour, the entire line already moved inside the school’s gymnasium.

Residents in line on Tuesday covered all age groups, young to old. Parents with children joined all ages of people to get the first doses of the vaccine.

The clinic was a systematic set up, with people checking in at a table as they entered the school’s gymnasium. People were then directed to any one of several vaccination tables located along the wall.

Bob Stuebe of Catlin said as a diabetic he had no problem deciding on whether to come on the first day to get the vaccine.

“With the problems it could cause me, it’s a cut and dried thing,” he said, adding, “This is going to be easier than if you get the flu and the problems it can cause. It’s kind of an easy trade off.”

Linda Bolton, spokeswoman for the health department, said department officials didn’t know what to expect on the first day of vaccination clinics. The clinic was staffed with 42 people and prepared to administer as many as 2,000 vaccinations.

“We’ve planned this on paper and we’ve done exercises,” she said, standing on the floor of the gymnasium. “But doing exercises and doing the real thing in public is a whole different thing.

“This first week especially, we’re on the learning curve,” Bolton added.

Walking the floor of the gymnasium was health department administrator Steve Laker. He flipped through a thick pad of papers on a clipboard — the action plan for the clinic.

He said Tuesday’s work is what health department staff have been training for as of late.

“This week is all our staff, we’ll get them exposed to it and what is going to be involved,” he said. The rest of the clinics beyond this week will have about half of the number of health department staff. Instead, volunteers and part-time employees will be utilized.

The county has received about 18,000 doses of the vaccine thus far.

The vaccinations will concentrate on five groups of residents to begin with, following guidelines set forward by the Centers for Disease Control. Those groups are pregnant women; people who live with or care for children under 6 months old; health care and emergency medical personnel; people ages 6 months through 24 years; and people between 25 and 64 years old who have health conditions that run a risk of health complications.

A parent or guardian must accompany children 18 and under for vaccinations and children under 10 must have two vaccinations separated by 28 days, according to the health department. Pregnant and breast-feeding women must bring a signed order from their doctor authorizing the vaccination.

Once the priority groups are vaccinated, the health department will begin vaccinating all county residents between 25 and 64 years old. Those older than 64 will be the last group to receive the vaccination.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Vermilion County Health Department has H1N1 vaccination clinics scheduled through the beginning of December:

-- Saturday at the county health department from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

-- Nov. 9-10 at the Hoopeston Civic Center in McFerren Park from 1-7 p.m.

-- Nov. 17-18 in the Banquet Center on the Georgetown Fairgounds from 1-7 p.m.

-- Nov. 21 at the Vermilion County Health Department from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

-- Dec. 1-2 at East Park Elementary School Gymnasium from 1-7 p.m.