October 28, 2009

 

Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers, members of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), with support from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, City of Chandler and the Town of Gilbert, will conduct a vaccination exercise to provide adults over 18 with a free seasonal flu shot. The walk-up clinic will be held from 8 to 11 a.m., on Saturday, October 31st.

Similar events have been held at Chandler Regional Medical Center in prior years. This year’s event is the first of its kind in the Valley to combine the efforts of county and local agencies. Emergency planners and public health officials will test their plans for vaccinating a large number of people in the event of a disease outbreak or terrorist attack.

Each year in the United States, approximately 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die from the seasonal flu alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Women who are pregnant are encouraged by the CDC to be immunized against the seasonal flu.

The vaccinations at this exercise will be for the seasonal flu, and vaccinations for H1N1 will not be given out during this exercise. Participants must be 18 or older and do not need to be a Chandler or Gilbert resident.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s Pecos Campus located at 2626 E. Pecos Road in Chandler.

For more information about this exercise, please call 480.728.5640.