December 14 , 2009

More Options for H1N1 Vaccine

Health District Adds Pharmacies to List of Private Providers

With increasing supplies of H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine, the Central District Health Department (CDHD) is continuing its efforts to make the vaccine more widely available in the community. Through Point of Dispensing (POD) operations and school vaccination efforts CDHD has administered nearly 30,000 doses of the vaccine. CDHD has also distributed more than 26,000 doses of vaccine to medical offices, obstetricians, nursing homes, hospitals, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Boise State University and correctional facilities. The latest group of outside providers to receive vaccine is pharmacies, which have 9300 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine available for the public.

“We have said from the beginning that our goal was to make the vaccine more widely available to the community depending on supplies,” says Rob Howarth, Incident Commander for the H1N1 Flu Response team at CDHD. “We have now reached a good percentage of priority groups and having more vaccine is providing us the flexibility to offer the public more options for protecting themselves against H1N1 flu.”

The H1N1 flu vaccine is now available to everyone over six months of age. All H1N1 flu vaccine administered through the health department is provided at no cost. Private providers cannot charge for the vaccine but are allowed to charge an administration fee not to exceed $19.07, the regional Medicare reimbursement rate.

Below is a table listing the area pharmacies in Ada, Elmore and Valley counties that have received vaccine as of today. Some pharmacies have multiple store locations and availability may vary by location. Check the pharmacy closest to you for local information.

Doses of H1N1 Flu Vaccine Distributed to Pharmacies in Ada, Elmore & Valley counties
as of December 9, 2009

For more information on the flu visit the CDHD website: www.cdhd.idaho.gov or call the CDHD Flu Hotline 321-2222.