Road trip! Swine flu clinics go mobile

Health authorities are taking swine flu vaccine clinics on the road in the next few weeks to reach residents who live in rural communities outside of Colorado Springs.

Starting Monday, a mobile medical truck will set up day-long shot clinics around El Paso County. The first will be in Fountain, followed by Calhan, Ellicott and Yoder.

So far, the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment has held three public flu clinics, all in the city. Thursday it’s holding another one in Fountain at The Hangar, 6436 S. Highway 85/87 Suite R, and another at The Citadel Mall on Dec. 5. Both start at 10 a.m.

The round of rural clinics comes from a partnership between the health department, Peak Vista Community Health Centers and Ronald McDonald Charities of Southern Colorado. Peak Vista and Ronald McDonald Charities normally use the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile to deliver medical care across the region, but they have freed up staff and the vehicle for flu clinics. Clinics are expected to provide about 160 vaccines per day.

Clinics will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. The schedule:

• Monday at the Fountain Fire Department, 212 N. Santa Fe, in Fountain.

• Nov. 30, Calhan School, 800 Bulldog Drive, Calhan.

• Dec. 7, Ellicott Elementary School, 399 S. Ellicott Highway, Ellicott.

• Dec. 14, Edison School, 14550 Edison Road, Yoder.

People eligible for the H1N1 vaccine include pregnant women, caretakers of infants younger than 6 months old, health care workers, people 6 months to 24 years old, and people 25 to 64 years old with chronic medical conditions. Additional groups, such as healthy older adults and senior citizens, are expected to become eligible as supplies of the vaccine increase.

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Call Newsome at 636-0198. Visit the Pikes Peak Health blog at www.pikespeakhealth.freedomblogging.com and the Gazette’s Health page at Gazette.com/health