Kids, Hospital Workers Vaccinated First For H1N1

BANGOR (NEWS CENTER)---The first shipments of H1N1 vaccine have arrived in the Bangor area and school children from 12 nearby towns will be among the first to receive it.

The Bangor Health and Community Services Department received 4,000 doses of the vaccine last week. The center also has roughly four thousand doses of vaccine for seasonal flu. It  plans  distribute both at a free flu shot clinic at the Bangor Civic Center this Wednesday night to school children from Bangor, Brewer, Clifton, Eddington, Glenburn, Hampden, Hermon, Holden, Newburgh, Orrington, Orono and Veazie.

The clinic is open to both private and public school children and all recipients must be in grades K through 12.

The department says it has been working with school superintendents in order to organize the clinic. It also has recruited several volunteers to help administer the vaccine to the many children its expecting.

"We have some schools that are bussing their children. We've asked them to set up a bus time with us so that we won't have all the buses arrive at once." said Bangor Public Health Director Patty Hamilton, "We've got some police people set up to help with traffic control. We've got some great volunteers from EMS and the schools of nursing and the hospitals so we've done large clinics before so I think we'll be set for that."

Eastern Maine Medical Center has also received 800 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, which it is using to inoculate its workers in the most high risk areas.

"We've already gotten a supply of our H1N1 vaccine for our Tier 1 staff," said Patient Care Administrator Karen Clements, "which are our direct care providers that work in high end places like the emergency department, intensive care, pediatric areas, so we've already received one shipment."

So far about 350 Tier 1 workers at EMMC have either signed up for an H1N1 vaccination or have been vaccinated.

If you would like to visit the free flu shot clinic with your child, it will be open from 8 am until 9 pm at the Bangor Civics Center. All children must have signed permission from a parent in order to receive vaccinations.