Saint Mary’s Medical Group will host its annual Flu and FIT campaign, a series of community-wide flu shot clinics and screening events in October and November. The clinics are designed to simplify the access to preventive screenings and immunizations in order to identify diseases and other conditions that can be quickly caught and managed in the earliest stages.
Services include: Flu vaccines; take-home FIT kits to test for colorectal cancer; pneumonia vaccines; bone density scans and mammography/Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS), the region’s only FDA approved screening technology for dense breast tissue. Patients will be scheduled on-site for any screening that cannot be done at the time of receiving the flu vaccine.
Saint Mary’s Flu and FIT clinics are scheduled for the following dates, times and locations:
- Mon, Oct 3 Saint Mary’s Galena Clinic (18653 Wedge Pkwy.) 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Wed, Oct 12 Saint Mary’s Spanish Springs Clinic (5070 Ion Dr. #100) 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Wed, Oct 19 Saint Mary’s Northwest Clinic (6255 Sharlands Ave.) 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Wed, Oct 26 Saint Mary’s Bell Street Clinic (595 Bell St.) 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Wed, Nov 2 Saint Mary’s (645 N. Arlington Ave) 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
As flu and cold season approaches, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all community members who are at least six months of age get a flu vaccine this season. Additionally, the following individuals are recommended be vaccinated as a precaution:
- People who are at high risk of developing serious complications (like pneumonia) if they get sick with the flu
- People who have certain medical conditions including asthma, diabetes, and chronic lung disease
- Pregnant women
- People younger than five years (and especially those younger than two) and people 65 years and older
The flu is a contagious virus that can be harmful to one’s health. Flu like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, cough, chills, muscle aches and a runny or stuffy nose can prevent individuals from attending work or school for extended periods of time. Immunizations protect against the flu and prevent it from spreading to others in the community.