MILTON — The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County is partnering with Healthy Schools, LLC, to provide flu shots to Santa Rosa students who were unable to receive them at school. Shots will also be provided to the students’ family members at the clinics, which will be held at the health department’s sites in Milton, Midway and Jay. The shots will be provided on a walk-in basis.
"The clinics are an opportunity for parents who had planned for their children to get a flu shot at school to get their child vaccinated," said Sandra L. Park-O’Hara, APRN, DOH-Santa Rosa administrator. "We also want to offer the vaccine to the students’ families."
The flu shot is a safe and simple way to help prevent the flu and is recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months, including women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, and those whose immune systems are compromised by HIV, cancer, and chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes.
Special Flu Clinic hours and locations:
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Midway Clinic: 5840 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
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Milton Clinic: 5527 Stewart Street, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
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Jay Clinic: 14122 Alabama Street (behind Jay Hospital) Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2 – 7 p.m.
In addition to a flu shot, the health department recommends taking these precautions to help prevent the flu:
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Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, clean hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
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Cover coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue, or sneeze or cough into your elbow or sleeve.
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If you do become sick, stay home until fever free for 24 hours, without the aid of fever reducing medication, except to seek medical care.
For more information on the flu shot clinics, contact the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County at (850) 983-5200. For more information on the flu, visit the Centers for Disease Control website at: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Flu shots available for students at three special clinics in November