Stick and go: Thousands lined up for free drive-through flu shots.
Posted on Saturday, November 8, 2008
Daily Record photographs by David Frank Dempsey Emelia Gutierez held out her arm for an influenza vaccination from registered nurse Sue McDonald at Phillips Park in Bentonville on Friday. Arkansas Department of Health worker Freddie Young, below, handed out vaccine information to the hundreds of people who waited in their cars for free flu shots
BENTONVILLE Cars, trucks and minivans loaded with passengers hoping to avoid the flu this winter began winding down Southeast J Street in Bentonville at 6 a. m. Friday. By 9 a. m., the line for the free vaccinations stretched out past 28 th Street and was easily more than a mile long, making the average wait time to get the shots just more than two hours.
Despite the wait time and cold temperatures, there werent many complaints to be heard at the drivethrough flu-shot clinic. Instead, Phillips Park was filled with people trying to avoid runny noses, body aches and fevers associated with the flu.
It is kind of like the Razorback ballgame. You are just going to have to stand in line a little while, County Judge Gary Black said as he offered his arm up to nurses for his flu shot.
I would rather have the flu shot than the flu, Elaine Schurman of Bella Vista said. Schurman arrived at the park at 8: 02 a. m., just two minutes after the shot clinic opened, and she had to wait until just after 10 to get her shot. Still, for Schurman, the wait was well worth being able to get the shot.
For Larry Swanson of Garfield, who suffers from emphysema and a pulmonary disease, getting the flu shot was not an option it was a necessity. The reason he chose to wait in the long lines to get a shot Friday was simple.
It is free, Swanson said with a chuckle.
The flu-shot clinic provided an opportunity for the county Health Department and the Benton County Department of Emergency Management to practice its mass-dispensing plan, which is in place to protect residents in the event of an outbreak.
In the event of a large incident, such as a pandemic or a biological incident, we would need to implement the mass-dispensing plan, and this is a great opportunity for us to test our ability to mass-dispense medication, said Marshal Watson, director of the Department of Emergency Management.
Last year, we gave 2, 200 vaccinations, and we feel comfortable that we will exceed that this year, and so far, it has been overwhelming. We were surprised at the number of participants at just the 8 a. m. hour, Watson said.
For area nurses, the flu clinic offered up a chance to give back to the community.
(The free flu shots are ) a service for the community and something we enjoy doing. This is where we want to be out in the public doing a public service for the community, said Donna Johnson, a registered nurse administering the flu shots.
For those unable to get a flu shot Friday, the Health Department will offer the remainder of its supply of the vaccinations on a first-come, first-served basis for a cost of $ 20 per shot. Those interested should call the Health Department at 271-1055.
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