Free Flu Vaccine Available For All Participating Oakland Elementary Schools

From Shoo the Flu: Shoo the Flu, a program to reduce influenza in the community, is returning this fall with free flu vaccines for students and teachers at elementary schools throughout the Oakland area. Shoo the Flu is a partnership of the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), and funded by the Page Family Foundation.

Now in its fourth year, Shoo the Flu has provided over 28,000 vaccinations at Oakland area schools since 2014. Nearly 100 Oakland-area schools are hosting Flu Vaccine Days this fall, making Shoo the Flu one of the largest community-based flu vaccination programs. Shoo the Flu is endorsed by a number of Bay Area organizations including Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal Health Plan, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, California Chapter 1 of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others.

“As a parent and a pediatrician, it is so rewarding to provide a service that is convenient for families, safe, free to students and staff, and improves the overall health of the community,” said Erica Pan, MD, MPH, Director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at Alameda County Public Health Department. “Getting an annual flu vaccine is the first and best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu. Shoo the Flu provides free flu vaccines to students where they attend school, helping to keep vaccination coverage rates high so students can stay flu-free and in school.”

Flu Vaccine Days:

• Flu Vaccine Days will run October through early November and are primarily at elementary and K-8 schools this year.
• Flu Vaccine Days are held at private schools, charter schools, schools of the Catholic Archdiocese of Oakland, and all OUSD elementary schools. To find out if Shoo the Flu is at your school this fall and when the Vaccine Day is, visit the website at http://shootheflu.org/resource...
• For students to get the free flu vaccine at their school, parents/guardians must complete and return a consent form, available from schools or at www.ShooTheFlu.org/consent.
• Students receive the same flu vaccine they would get from a regular healthcare provider.
• Nurses or supervised nursing students will give the vaccine to all students with completed consent forms, during school hours. Still curious about how it works? Check out our home page video at http://shootheflu.org/
• All students, regardless of insurance, are encouraged to get the free flu vaccine at school. All vaccination records will be entered into the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) for healthcare providers to see. Paper documentation will also be given to students.

Shoo the Flu has received positive feedback from both schools and families, citing the ease of the program and the convenience for families.” I welcome Shoo the Flu each year...students and staff may not be able to afford or take the time to get the shot. Thanks to you all!” said a staff member at Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy. “I just want to say thank you for what you do. That helps a lot for flu season. Some families don't have the time or pay enough attention to flu season until it is too late. I would love if you come back next year. Awesome work,” remarked a Kaiser Elementary school staff member.

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