Free Swine Flu/H1N1 Vaccines

H1N1 Vaccine Clinic at Our Local Middle School Last Week

Finding someplace to get vaccinated against swine flu this year has become the proverbial needle in the haystack. Heck, just finding a doctor’s office or clinic with the regular flu vaccine is a challenge in and of itself. But here’s the good news: your state or county may be your best bet for getting an H1N1 shot–and for free, too.

Last week the Bucks County Department of Health had a swine flu vaccine clinic in our school district. It was a well-organized, swiftly run operation in the middle school gym that, in the course of three hours, got 750 school-aged children–mine included–vaccinated against the H1N1 virus. (That’s my daughter Annie, above, getting up after her shot. Notice the blur: she wanted out of there fast! And we were in and out in about 10 minutes.)

Considering that our small district only has about 1,300 kids in total, that’s a pretty impressive number of people who were able not only to get their kids vaccinated but also who didn’t pay a dime for it. The price of admission? A signed consent form.

I just discovered that the Pennsylvania Department of Health is having free swine flu shot clinics November 20, 21, and 22 for individuals that fall into a high-risk category. As someone with asthma, I qualify for a free shot and am in the process of making an appointment online for one of these clinics. The only downside? I’ve got to drive about an hour to a location in the next county to get the shot. But considering I’ve been calling my primary care physician’s office regularly and they still don’t know if they’re getting any H1N1 vaccines for patients like me, I’ll take the shot where I can get it.

If you have decided to get vaccinated against swine flu but haven’t been able to find somewhere to get that done, have you considered checking with your state or local government? Let me know if that works out for you.