| September
3, 2010
Dear Parents,
Hirsch Pediatrics
will begin its 2010 - 2011 annual flu vaccine campaign
with walk-in hours beginning on Monday, September
13th (see below for details).
For the 2010
– 2011 flu season, the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have
recommended that everybody over the age of 6 months
be vaccinated against the flu. This is especially important
for the highest risk groups including all children as
well as caretakers of young children. I strongly support
this recommendation. Please do not delay in getting
you and your child vaccinated.
Unlike last flu
season when separate seasonal and H1N1 (swine) flu vaccines
were administered, this year there is only one single
combined vaccine that protects against both the seasonal
and H1N1 flu virus.
As always, Hirsch
Pediatrics is committed to providing the highest quality
of care to your family by ensuring that the flu vaccine
is administered to you and your child as expeditiously,
safely, and conveniently as possible.
Please see below
for answers to commonly asked questions regarding the
flu vaccine and its availability at Hirsch Pediatrics.
Also, please remember to check our website
regularly for any updates or notifications
about the 2010 – 2011 flu season.
I look forward
to working with you to help ensure that you and your
family have a "flu-free" flu season.
Sincerely,
Steven F. Hirsch,
MD, FAAP |
|
When can my child and I receive the flu vaccine? |
Walk-in any weekday
from 9:00 - 12:00 or 2:30 - 4:30 beginning
Monday, September 13th.
No appointment
is necessary
and there is usually a minimal wait time.
Current patients
and their caregivers may also receive the flu vaccine
at any well-child exam.
Please note that
all children will be given thimerosal free flu vaccine
while supplies last.
|
| Can
parents and caregivers receive the flu vaccine from Hirsch
Pediatrics? |
- Yes
– while supplies last, we are happy to vaccinate and
encourage all parents and caregivers to receive the
flu vaccine. Not only will this protect those
individuals from the flu, it will significantly protect
their children from flu exposure as well.
|
| My
child is not a patient of Hirsch Pediatrics.
Can I, as an adult, still receive the flu vaccine?
|
|
- Yes
- all adults may receive the seasonal flu vaccine
at the office. However, children
(under age 21) who are not established
patients of Hirsch Pediatrics will not be able to
receive the flu vaccine at the office.
|
Last
year there were two separate vaccines for seasonal flu
and the H1N1 flu virus. Are there two separate
vaccines this year? |
No. This year there is only one single vaccine
that protects against both the seasonal and H1N1 flu
virus.
|
Some
children will need two doses of flu vaccine separated
by 1 month. How many doses will my child need?
|
All children who are
at least 9 years old will only need 1 dose
regardless of previous vaccination history.
All children ages 6
months through 8 years who did not receive H1N1 vaccine
last year will need 2 doses separated
by 1 month, regardless of the number of prior seasonal
flu vaccines received.
|
| How much does the flu vaccine cost? |
- For
current patients of Hirsch Pediatrics whose insurance
coverage includes the flu vaccine, there is no additional
charge for the flu vaccine other than your normal
visit copay. Please note that all children
will automatically be given thimerosal free flu vaccine
while supplies last.
- The
cost for adults receiving the flu vaccine at Hirsch
Pediatrics, flu vaccines given at off-site clinics,
and flu vaccines for patients whose insurance coverage
does not include the flu vaccine will be $30.
(Flumist
and preservative free flu vaccine will be available
at all locations for $45.)
|