State Expands H1N1 Vaccine Availabilty, Local Clinics Scheduled

Illinois health officials have expanded H1N1 flu shot eligibility to anyone seeking one, starting on Tuesday.

And area health departments have responded by scheduling vaccination clinics in Champaign and Danville next week. Champaign-Urbana's public health district holds four days of free clinics that begin Tuesday. That's when anyone over age 64 can receive the shot. Administrator Julie Pryde says supply has been good enough to offer vaccine for walk-ins during the week, along with helping providers like Carle and Christie Clinic. Meanwhile, Vermilion County's Health Department conducts its own clinics on Wednesday and Thursday. Administrator Steve Laker says it's unlikely his department would conduct any more clinics before Christmas, but that could change with the emergence of additional cases of flu-like illness.

"We would immediately gear up and scale our program back up," says Laker. "And we wouldn't have any trouble going back out to remote sites to do that. We've had excellent cooperation from local schools and other organziations that hosted sites, so we wouldn't have any problem. The only thing that might potentially affect that is what resources we have left after December 29th." The Vermilion County Board has scheduled a special meeting for that date, in which it could decide to downsize or dissolve the county's health department because of slow state payments. It's currently owed about $800,000. Laker says if the board did choose to shut down his department, there's no telling how much advance warning his offices would have or how services like vaccinations would continue.

The clinics in Danville are from 10 to 6 on Wednesday and 7 am to 12 pm on Thursday. Vaccinations at Champaign-Urbana's Public Health District run from 9 to 6 Tuesday thru Thursday, and 9 to 1 next Friday at its offices on West Kenyon Road.