Health Unit receives new H1N1 vaccine shipment

North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit
News Release

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The Health Unit has received a new shipment of 5,000 doses of H1N1 (adjuvanted) vaccine for high risk people. These doses will be distributed to:

o all hospitals in the North Bay Parry Sound district for their high risk patients and un-immunized staff

o doctor's office throughout the district who have agreed to immunize for H1N1 for their high risk patients

o the North East Community Care Access Center (NECCAC) for high risk patients

o Nipissing University and Canadore College - Health Centre for high risk people

o Group homes for high risk clients

o First Nations communities who are considered high risk

This has been a very different flu season and the Health Unit has been challenged to coordinate and promote vaccine clinics with little notice of when vaccine shipments are arriving.

“We simply do not have the staff or resources to host clinics in every small community in our district as we have done in past flu seasons,” said Dr. Jim Chirico, Acting Medical Officer of Health. “In order to give the public more notice about clinics and to be able to vaccinate the most people possible, we will host mass clinics that will be strategically placed throughout our district.”

These clinics will be set up in key areas of our district - Sturgeon Falls, Parry Sound, Sundridge, Mattawa, and North Bay.

Dr. Chirico said, “We will need the communities' support to make sure these mass clinics reach as many people in our district as possible. We greatly appreciate the support we have already received from all of our community partners since H1N1 began, and thank them for assisting in getting our vulnerable people immunized.”

When the Health Unit receives vaccine and is directed by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, we will coordinate mass immunization clinics throughout our district and promote them with as much notice as possible. Our local health care providers (physicians and hospitals) will help to increase the distribution of the vaccine throughout the district.

For current information on H1N1 and vaccine clinics, visit www.healthunit.biz.

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