Dallas County dispenses swine flu vaccines at first walk-in clinic

Sherry Jacobson and Jeffrey Weiss

Nov. 4, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- About 1,000 people lined up this morning at Dallas County's first walk-in swine flu clinic as health officials worked ahead of schedule to provide vaccines to children, pregnant women and those most at-risk for contracting the virus.

Doors were expected to open by 8 a.m. at 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. But by 7:15 a.m., those first in line had already received their vaccines and were heading home. Pregnant women, people who use wheelchairs and others with special needs were being sent to the front of the line.

Susan Brown, 40, and her daughter, Tracy Brown, 22, both of Oak Cliff, were two of the pregnant women allowed to walk to the front. They had arrived shortly before 8 a.m. with Tracy's son, Jonathan, 3. "It's the only place in this area that has the shot going on," Susan Brown said.

Dr. John Carlo, medical director of the county's Health and Human Services Department said, "It's going good so far. We want it to go faster. But it's only 8 a.m."

Zachary Thompson, director of the county health department, said the morning was going smoothly. He said the county's goal was to vaccinate 5,000 people today.

The shots are not available to everyone. If you are lucky enough to have health insurance and you don't suffer from any chronic diseases, don't bother to show up today. And if you don't live in Dallas County, you especially aren't welcome.

The parking lot was full shortly before 8 a.m. Thompson said parking difficulties were no surprise. "Unless you had a big venue like the Cowboys' stadium, parking will always be an issue," he said. "We're working with it, and we're learning from it."

Rich Waring, 39, of Dallas arrived shortly before 6 a.m. and was already close to the front of the line by 7:30 a.m. He said he had expected a bigger crowd. "I am actually pleasantly surprised by how short the line is," he said.

The orderly scene was replicated inside the flu clinic on the sixth floor of the county building.

Workers carefully reviewed consent forms to determine which vaccine patients should receive. Officials had 4,000 doses of FluMist, which can be used on people ages 2 to 49 with no underlying health problems. FluMist contains a live virus that can't be given to pregnant women or people with health issues such as asthma, diabetes or a heart condition. There were 500 doses of a preservative-free shot for pregnant women.

The county health department's meager 10,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine are supposed to go to a targeted group: uninsured and low-income county residents who also suffer health problems such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses.

People 6 months to 24 years old and pregnant women will also get priority status.

Evalyn Henley, 56, Balch Springs, said her family was going to forego the traditional holiday photo with Santa at the mall if her 8-year-old daughter could not receive the swine flu vaccine. Henley, who has asthma, said she was also worried about catching the flu among the throngs of holiday shoppers.

"If we don't go out and get them [vaccines], we are not going," she said.

The county's flu clinic will run until 4 p.m. today. Vaccinations will continue Thursday and Friday, if the county's supply of shots and FluMist holds up.

Anyone seeking a vaccination must have a driver's license or utility bill showing his name and an address within Dallas County. Officials are depending on people to tell the truth about their insurance status and any health conditions that make them eligible for a flu shot.

Also qualifying for flu shots are people who care for babies younger than 6 months old and health care workers, but only if they are uninsured.

Insun Seong, 62, and her husband arrived at 4:30 a.m. "We are taking care of our 2-month-old granddaughter and have to get a shot," said Seong. She wore a paper mask over her mouth because she said it kept her warm.

DART implemented a "rush hour" schedule on two of its bus routes to serve the Dallas County Health Department on Stemmons Freeway. Because of the H1N1 clinic, buses on routes 49 and 405 will run every 20 minutes instead of the normal 40 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"We knew there would probably be a lot of interest in getting to the clinics today," said Morgan Lyons, a DART spokesman. "That's why we changed it."

Lyons didn't know if DART plans to keep this "rush hour" schedule through the end of the week.

County officials concede that they might be criticized for limiting H1N1 vaccinations to the people who typically rely on the government for immunizations. The ongoing vaccine shortage, which has been blamed on manufacturing delays, has people clamoring for flu shots whenever they become available.

Carlo noted that the health department received only a small portion, about 5 percent, of the total H1N1 flu vaccine sent so far to doctors, clinics and hospitals throughout Dallas County.

"Over 200,000 vaccinations have been delivered to the private sector," he said. "We're providing our continued support for those who have no other way to provide for their health. That is our role."

But with only a few exceptions, most private doctors and clinics are not publicizing their supplies beyond their own patients, and state and local health officials have not identified providers that received the scarce vaccine. That makes it difficult for those who want the vaccine to find it outside the county clinics.

"The bottom line is that we're still short of vaccine," Carlo said.

If it is any consolation, the local swine flu season appears to have waned in the last three weeks. School absentees and emergency room visits related to flu-like symptoms have dropped noticeably, he said.

Dallas County has reported 15 deaths associated with the H1N1 flu this year.

On Tuesday, Tarrant County reported its sixth flu-related death -- a man in his late 50s who died in October. No other details were released.

Staff writers Jordan Hofeditz and Courtney Roberts contributed to this report.

WHO SHOULD GET VACCINATED:

Beginning today, the Dallas County Health Department will offer the swine flu vaccine for county residents who are low-income, uninsured and at highest risk of severe flu complications. Those risk categories include:

--Pregnant women

--People who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months old

--Health care workers or emergency medical personnel

--People 6 months to 24 years old

--People 25 to 64 years old who have chronic medical conditions

ABOUT THE WALK-UP CLINIC:

--Location: Dallas County Health Department, 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway

--Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today; vaccinations will continue Thursday and Friday as long as the county's supply lasts

--Cost: Free

--Proof of residency: Driver's license or utility bill

Newstex ID: KRTB-0046-39480650