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Online registration continues for the 2012 “Vote & Vax” Influenza Clinic, conducted by the Putnam County Department of Health. Free flu immunization will be available for individuals, 19 years of age and older, who live or work in New York State. The four-hour event begins at 3 p.m. at Brewster High School on Election Day, Nov. 6, and ends at 7 p.m. To register, go online at www.putnamflu.com and follow the instructions, or visit the county website at www.putnamcountyny.com.
While residents are logging on to register via a new paperless, pre-registration process, health department officials are busy preparing for one of their key annual POD drills, referring to a Point-Of-Dispensing exercise that would be used in the event of a public health emergency. The effort requires not only the work of health department staff, but also collaboration with the County’s Bureau of Emergency Services and Information Technology, the Sheriff's Department, and the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Putnam County’s volunteer organization that supports efforts during an emergency or disaster.
“Increasing vaccination rates is the first goal of course,” explains Putnam County Commissioner of Health, Allen Beals, MD. “But we also use this event to help fine tune our preparedness skills. At peak capacity we have performed immunizations at a rate of 300 people per hour, with minimal waiting."
Online registration involves selecting from two time slots—from 3 to 5 p.m. or from 5 to 7 p.m. Pre-registration online is highly recommended, since only a limited number of computers will be available onsite at the clinic for those who have not pre-registered.
Vote & Vax is part of a nationwide campaign designed to increase vaccination rates by providing shots at, or close to, public polling places.
The mission of the health department is to improve and protect the health of the county’s nearly 100,000 residents through prevention of illness and injury. Core services include community health assessment, disease surveillance and control, environmental health protection, family health promotion and health education. For more information, please visit our website at www.putnamcountyny.com; or visit our social media sites on Facebook at www.facebook.com/putnamhealth and Twitter @PutnamHealthNY. ###
