Local flu shot supplies limited

By Journal Staff | Saturday, October 16, 2004

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Sioux San Hospital in Rapid City and the VA Black Hills Health Care System will offer flu shots, but only to high-risk patients, as outlined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rapid City Regional Hospital does not yet have flu vaccine but hopes to get some soon, a spokeswoman said Friday. Hospital officials plan to discuss the flu vaccine shortage Monday with state Health Department officials.

Sioux San medical staff will give flu shots to high-risk patients of Rapid City's American Indian community served by the hospital, Dr. Colette Ducheneaux, acting clinical director, said Friday. She declined to give a specific number of immunizations available.

"We're going to immunize high-risk patients until the end of the month," she said. "Then, we will inventory our vaccine supply and update our strategy as needed."

Ducheneaux said high-risk patients should call any afternoon beginning Tuesday to inquire about the hospital's flu shot clinics.

Ray Grandbois, acting chief executive at Sioux San, said the hospital had received a limited supply of the flu vaccine. He wasn't aware if the hospital would receive any more after that supply was depleted, he said.

"We won't be giving many shots," Grandbois said.

On Friday, Barb Collins, 46, of Rapid City, a Santee Sioux enrolled at Winnebago Agency at Niobrara, Neb., made calls to the hospital, Sen. Tom Daschle's office and the State Department of Health to track down her flu shot.

Collins said she was born with a rare congenital birth defect that puts her at high risk. But when she called Sioux San on Friday to set an appointment for the vaccination clinic, she was told the hospital had only 200 doses and that all of it was taken.

"I went into panic mode," she said. "You don't know how scary it was."

After a frustrating day of calls, Collins said her physician at Sioux San called Friday afternoon with good news.

"My doctor told me they just got 1,200 more doses," she said. "They have a shot for me."

Sioux San considers the following in the high-risk category: children ages 6 to 23 months; children ages 6 months to 18 years who are on chronic aspirin therapy; adults ages 65 and older; persons ages 2 to 64 years with a chronic medical condition; all women who are pregnant during the flu season; and health care workers involved in direct patient care.

For information about flu shot clinics, call Sioux San any afternoon on or after Tuesday at 355-2350.

Meanwhile, VA Black Hills Health Care System announced Friday that it had postponed its previously advertised flu immunization clinics for enrolled veterans that were scheduled to begin next week.

"It is hoped that, as additional supplies of the vaccine are received, we will be able to reschedule these walk-in flu shot clinics," Jeff Honeycutt, chief of community affairs, said.

Until that happens, VA Black Hills is offering flu shots only to high-risk patients with upcoming appointments. Enrolled veterans are considered eligible for flu shots if they meet one of the following CDC criteria: are 65 years or older; live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility that houses those with long-term illnesses; have chronic heart or lung conditions, including asthma; need regular medical care or were in a hospital during the previous year because of a metabolic disease (such as diabetes), chronic kidney disease, or weakened immune system; are women who will be pregnant during the influenza season.

For more information about high-risk populations, visit the CDC Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldget.htm

Journal reporters Jomay Steen, Tim Velder and Steve Miller contributed to this story.