Free flu shots this weekend at HMC
By KALEY LYON
Hays Medical Center soon will be offering complimentary flu vaccinations, and patients might not even have to get out of their cars.
The hospital's annual drive-through flu shot clinic will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
"Everybody needs to get a flu shot," said Rich Matzke, infection control nurse at HMC. "If you're over six months of age, you really do need to get a flu shot."
Hays Medical Center Foundation will cover the cost of the vaccinations, but everyone is welcome to bring donations for the Hays Community Assistance Center in exchange for an injection, Matzke said.
Vehicles only with adults older than 18 must go through the drive-through clinic, to which drivers will be directed.
When children under 18 are present, however, vehicles should park in the Center for Health Improvement's west parking lot and enter through the orthopaedic clinic doors, Matzke said.
These individuals will receive their flu vaccination inside.
The vaccine offered by the hospital is good for any child older than 6 months, and antibodies will take about two weeks to form, he said.
Protection from the shot will last about six months, with November to April considered "flu season."
It's also important to note the vaccine consists of dead, inactivated virus, which does not cause illness, Matzke said.
"A flu shot does not make you sick, at least ours doesn't," he said.
Flu symptoms include body aches, fever, a cough and respiratory congestion. While other gastrointestinal symptoms commonly are referred to as the "stomach flu," these complications are not caused by the flu virus, Matzke said.
The free clinic has been offered since 2000 and has become popular throughout the area.
Last year, the hospital distributed about 3,500 vaccinations, he said.
About 75 volunteers, including nursing students from Fort Hays State University and North Central Kansas Technical College, will be present to help distribute the vaccine.
Waiting lines could be up to 30 minutes long, and drivers should remember to come to a complete stop before filling out the necessary consent forms, Matzke said.
And with Interstate 70 close by, several motorists have stopped after hearing about the clinic via radio, he said.
"We've had them from various states, as far as New York to California," he said.