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to School Immunizations Being Provided
07/26/006
La Marque -With the
start of school less than a month away
parents will be very busy getting school
supplies, school clothes and many other
things children need for the new school
year. The Galveston County Health District
would like to remind everyone that one task
they should not overlook preparing for the
new school year is making sure their
children’s immunizations are up to date.
Schools require that children are properly
immunized but that is not the only reason to
immunize children. Dr. Mark Guidry,
Galveston County Health Authority, says
“Vaccines are one of the great public health
achievements of the last century. They work
and that is why we encourage parents to
immunize their children on time. Many
parents, however, wait until the start of a
new school year to get their kids up to date
on their immunizations during a season
referred to as back-to-school rush.” Last
year, the District vaccinated some 1000 kids
in a three week period.In preparation for the rush, the District will host its fourth annual Kids
Health Fest starting on August 1st. Kids Health Fest will
take place at two local district offices. Vaccinations will be available in La
Marque at 1207 Oak Street August 1st through August 18th
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For better service to large numbers, immunization
clinic operations in Texas City and Dickinson will be relocated to La Marque
during the event.
A second location where vaccinations may be obtained is the Galveston
Immunization Clinic in the Island Community Center at 4700 Broadway. The
Galveston clinic is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,
and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Input from the community helps insure that immunization efforts are successful.
To garner this input the District has an established Immunization Advisory
Council. Members of the Immunization Advisory Council meet regularly to
brainstorm innovative ideas on how to reach more kids. Some things that have
come out of the Council are the use of volunteers and incentives to promote
immunizations. At the Councils urging the District also established a reminder
program to help parents keep track of needed immunizations which has been very
successful. “Getting shots is never a pleasant experience for parents or children,” said
June Gonzales, RN and Manager of the Immunization Program. “We are trying to
make this experience as pleasant as possible for families seeking
immunizations.”
“Annual Health District surveys show
that the number of Galveston County children up-to-date with school-required
vaccinations have increased over the past several years,” says Dr. Dana Beckham
the District’s Chief Epidemiologist. “Meeting a goal of having 90% of
Galveston County children fully immunized are enhanced by the activities of the
Immunization Advisory Council and events such as Kids Health Fest.” The Galveston County Health District has included both childhood and adult
immunizations in its strategic health plan which is a tool guiding the
district’s activities over the next six years. The entire plan can be found on
the district’s web site at:
www.gchd.org.
“”We promote many activities that should be part of life-long health
improvements like healthy diet and exercise,” said Dr. Guidry. “Immunizations
are just as much a part of life long health and we think working with parents
and all of our community partners we can assure a healthy community.” For more information on Kids Health Fest 2006 call (409) 938-2244
As reported in the Daily
News
07/17/06
As reported in the Daily News
07/30/06
For More Information
Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
(409) 938-2211
kkoopman@gchd.org
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