TRUMBULL COUNTY Departments plan large flu inoculation

WARREN -- The four health departments in Trumbull County will team up Oct. 29 to deliver about 1,200 flu shots in a single session.
The clinic, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Demetrios Hellenic Orthodox Church, is intended to prepare health department and emergency services workers to react if there is ever a disease outbreak or bioterrorist attack, said Trumbull County Health Department nursing supervisor Selene Layton.
"We wanted to test how well the four health departments work together if we have to inoculate a large number of people," Layton said.
Although the clinic is, in a sense, an exercise in responding to a smallpox or anthrax attack, health department workers will be inoculating people with real flu vaccine.
Inoculations will be available to people over age 50 or adults with a chronic illness that makes them more vulnerable to the disease. People covered under Medicare Part B should bring their insurance number. The fee for others is $10.
The Warren, Girard, Niles and Trumbull County health departments have all set aside part of their annual allotment of flu vaccine for the event, Layton said.
The county health department will hold several other flu clinics for seniors, she said. The inoculations are also available from many drug stores, groceries and family doctors.