Beebe Healthcare offering free flu vaccinations until Nov. 30
Beebe Healthcare is offering free flu clinics for the community through the end of November.
Influenza viruses change often, so an annual vaccination is recommended. Vaccinations will be provided to adults only (18 and over) at the clinics. Parents should contact their children's physician or the Division of Public Health for information about pediatric vaccinations.
Beebe will host free flu clinics in the Emergency Department Lobby of the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus every Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Nov. 26. Beebe also provides free health screenings, including flu shots, at health events across Sussex County to serve the community.
Additional flu vaccination clinics are set for:
Oct. 4, 2-5 p.m., Beebe Lab Express - Millville, 32550 Doc’s Place (Creekside Plaza, Route 26)
Oct. 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Rabbit’s Ferry Center, 19112 Robinsonville Road, Lewes
Oct. 7, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Epworth UM Church, 19285 Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach
Oct. 9, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Sussex County YMCA, 20080 Church St., Rehoboth Beach
Oct. 10, 2-5 p.m., Beebe Lab Express - Georgetown, 21635 Biden Ave, Georgetown
Oct. 11, 2-5 p.m., Beebe Lab Express - Millsboro, 28538 Dupont Blvd., Millsboro
Oct. 18, 12-3 p.m., Beebe Lab Express - Milton, 614 Mulberry Street, Milton
Oct. 19, 8-10 a.m., Rehoboth Beach Fire Department, 219 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth
Oct. 23, 12-3 p.m., Advanced Care Clinic Long Neck, 32060 Long Neck Road, Millsboro
Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Jude Catholic Church, 152 Tulip Drive, Lewes
Oct. 27, 12-3 p.m., Beebe Lab Express Rehoboth Beach Health Campus, 18941 John J. Williams Hwy., Rehoboth
Nov. 4, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Lewes Presbyterian Church, 133 Kings Highway, Lewes
Nov. 6, 4-7 p.m., Ocean View VFW, Mason Dixon Post 7234, 29265 Marshy Hope Way, Ocean View
For more information on the clinics, call Beebe Population Health at 302-645-3337. For a flyer listing flu clinics and addresses, visit www.beebehealthcare.org/calendar and click 2018 FREE Flu Clinics.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the following populations consider getting the influenza vaccination:
• People 50 to 64 years of age. Nearly one-third of people between the ages of 50 and 64 in the United States have one or more medical conditions that place them at increased risk for serious flu complications.
• People who can transmit flu to others at high risk for complications. Any person in close contact with someone in a high-risk group should get vaccinated. This includes all health care workers, household contacts, and out-of-home caregivers of young children up to 23 months of age, and close contacts of people 65 years and older.
According to CDC, people at high risk for complications from influenza include:
• Those 65 years and older.
• Those who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that house those with long-term illnesses.
• Adults and children 6 months and older with chronic heart or lung conditions, including asthma.
• Adults and children 6 months and older who needed regular medical care or were in a hospital during the previous year because of a metabolic disease (like diabetes), chronic kidney disease, or a weakened immune system, including immune system problems caused by medicines or by infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS).
• Children 6 months to 18 years of age who are on long-term aspirin therapy. (Children given aspirin while they have influenza are at risk of Reye's syndrome.)
• Women who are pregnant during influenza season.
• All children 6 to 23 months of age.
• People with any condition that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions (conditions that make it hard to breathe or swallow, such as brain injury or disease, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other nerve or muscle disorders).
According to the CDC, those who become ill with the influenza virus should make sure to rest, drink plenty of liquids, avoid using alcohol and tobacco, and take medication to relieve symptoms. Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms, especially fever, without consulting a physician. In some cases, physicians may choose to prescribe certain antiviral drugs to treat influenza. Antibiotics do not cure influenza, which is caused by a virus.
For more information on services offered through Beebe, go to www.beebehealthcare.org.
