Published: October 21, 2008 09:51 pm      

Flu shots offered to HISD, city employees

Employees of the Huntsville Independent School District and of the City of Huntsville will have exclusive opportunities to receive flu vaccinations beginning today.

Today, the Mance Park Middle School clinic will offer flu shots for $15 each to any paid HISD employee or immediate family member of a paid employee from 2-6 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis.

On Thursday, employees of the City of Huntsville will be able to receive free flu vaccinations between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at the City of Huntsville Service Center located on state Highway 75 North.

“I started off with 300 doses to distribute to HISD employees and their families, and I have 140 doses available to give out today,” said Margie Eglsaer, Mance Park Middle School nurse. “Any HISD employee including substitute teachers and their immediate family members can come by and get a flu shot for $15 each.

“Unfortunately, I cannot give these shots out to students unless they are immediately related to an employee of the district.”

As the district is not an official source for flu vaccinations, Eglsaer said the shots may only be distributed to children over the age of 9.

“We can give this vaccination to children between the ages of 4 and 9 if they’ve had a previous flu shot, but if that’s not the case, we have to limit the shots to people ages 9 and over,” Eglsaer said.

Permanent City of Huntsville employees — non-temporary employees working on either a full-time or part-time basis — may visit the City of Huntsville Service Center between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. for free flu shots.

“This is a part of our wellness program for our employees,” said Angela Martin, City of Huntsville benefits coordinator. “We have this opportunity available annually — it’s something we do to try to keep our work force as well as possible during the flu season.”

While it may be difficult to find flu shots without visiting a physician, Eglsaer said it is very important to receive a flu shot.

“The flu is a respiratory illness spread in the air through close contact, so it’s very important that everyone get this vaccine,” she said. “If you’ve ever had a bad case of the flu, you’ll never forget to get your flu shot again.”