Norwalk
We teamed up with Walgreens to help protect nearly 600 uninsured Connecticut residents from the flu this winter. Patients and community members 18 and over without health insurance received the vaccine at no charge during flu shot clinics held in September and October at all four AmeriCares Free Clinics locations. Pharmacists from local Walgreens stores were on hand to administer the shots.
“The flu is miserable for everyone but can be even more costly for those who have to miss work as a result of flu-related illness,” said AmeriCares Free Clinics Executive Director Karen Gottlieb. “With the support of Walgreens we were able to offer this important vaccine to all of our patients.”
In past years, we could only offer the vaccine to our high-risk patients due to the cost.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated by October. Seasonal influenza can lead to serious illness, hospitalization and even death. Young children, the elderly and adults with underlying medical conditions are most at risk. The flu vaccine prevented approximately 7.2 million illnesses and 90,000 flu-related hospitalizations in the 2013-2014 flu season, according to the CDC.