Help Your Community Fight the Flu

Help Your Community Fight the Flu

Flu season is upon us. To help everyone stay healthy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending a three-step approach to fighting the flu. We encourage you to share these messages with your community.

• Get your flu shot! Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a 2013-2014 flu shot. Flu season usually peaks in January or February, so it’s not too late to get the vaccine in December, January, or beyond. If you are a health care worker, vaccination is especially important to help you keep from spreading the flu to patients at high risk for serious flu-related complications.
• Take everyday preventive actions. Stop the spread of germs that can cause the flu by washing your hands often and covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
• Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.
• Visit the CDC website to learn more about the flu and the resources available to you. 

You can also help your community fight the flu by hosting a free immunization clinic for those who are uninsured, thanks to the Walgreens/HHS co-sponsorship agreement. A Walgreens pharmacist will administer the free flu shots on site.

If you are interested in hosting a clinic, reach out to either your HHS regional contact or the Walgreens contact directly to schedule a community immunization event. If a Walgreens contact is not listed for your city or state, contact Tracy Branch at tracy.branch@hhs.gov and let her know you are a Title X provider who is interested in hosting an immunization clinic under the Walgreens/HHS agreement.

We encourage you to take advantage of this agreement in order to provide influenza immunization to eligible patients.