Getting an annual influenza vaccination is the best way to reduce chances for getting the flu or spreading it to others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Christian Hospital is offering free flu shots for children and adults at four locations.
The first takes place On Monday, September 24, from 3-7 p.m. at Christian Hospital Atrium (Detrick Building), 11133 Dunn Rd., St. Louis, Mo., 63136.
Tuesday, October 9, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. flu shots take place at the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center, 9420 West Florissant Ave.
Friday, October 12, from 2-6 p.m., flu shots take place at Northwest HealthCare – Community Room, 1225 Graham Road – Entrance A.
On Saturday, October 13 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., flu shots will be given at the Shalom Health Fair at Hazelwood East High School, 11300 Dunn Road.
On Sunday, October 14, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Barnes-Jewish Hospital will offer flu vaccinations for adults and children ages 6 months and older at the Siteman Cancer Center at Christian Hospital in the Christian Hospital Atrium ( Detrick building), 11133 Dunn Rd., St. Louis, Mo. 63136.
The Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation is making possible its free public flu shots.
Jonathan Leesman, pharmacy manager at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, agrees that getting a flu shot is the single most effective way to prevent contracting the flu virus or spreading it to others.
“We’re gonna have two types. One is a quadrivalent, inactive vaccine that covers four strains,” Leesman said. Those four strains are two A strains, A/Michigan (H1N1) and A/Singapore (H3N2) and two B strains, B/Colorado and B/Phuket, he said.
For the first time ever, a Barnes-Jewish free flu shot clinic will offer the high-dose flu shots for persons age 65 and older. Leesman said the high dose flu vaccine for senior adults has two A stains and one B strain, and it produces more immunity. “The strains that it covers, it actually has four times the amount of antigen,” Leesman said, “that’s the inactive particle that induces the immune response.”
A Barnes-Jewish spokesperson said the October 14 date at Christian Hospital is the only one at Christian that will have the high dose flu vaccine; the others will not.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital will offer adult vaccinations only in the main floor lobby, Monday, October 1, Tuesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October 3, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., 1 Barnes-Jewish Plaza, St. Louis, Mo. 63110.
Center for Advanced Medicine, will offer adult and pediatric vaccinations (age 6 months and older) in the 3rd floor lobby, Monday, October 1, Tuesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October 3 from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., 4921 Parkview Place, St. Louis, Mo. 63110.
Siteman Cancer Center – South County will offer adult and pediatric vaccinations (ages 6 months and older) Saturday, October 6 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., 5225 Midamerica Plaza, St. Louis, Mo., 63129.
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital will offer adult and pediatric flu vaccinations (ages 6 months and older) Sunday, October 7 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Medical Office Building 2, 10 Barnes West Drive, Creve Coeur, Mo. 63141.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital said for safety reasons, flu shots are not available to individuals who have had a previous allergic reaction to the flu vaccine, persons with egg allergies or anyone who has ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Anyone in any of those categories are advised to see their physicians for a flu shot. Leesman said there is an egg-free flu vaccine called Flublok, however, it is not offered at the free public flu clinics.
SSM Health is also offering free flu vaccinations across the St. Louis region on one day, Saturday, October 13, from 8 a.m. – noon for adults and children ages 9 and older.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is the only SSM Health location that will vaccinate infants age 6 months and older. For all SSM flu clinics, vaccinations are available by injection only. There will not be a preservative-free option. Pregnant women are advised to obtain a flu shot from their primary care physician. No appointments are necessary. Participants should wear loose-fit clothing. Flu shots will be given first-come, first-served and while supplies last at the following locations:
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital at the drive-through parking lot next to Ronald McDonald House, 3450 Park Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63104
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital drive-through on Bellevue Ave. (one block south of Clayton Rd.) in Richmond Heights, Mo. 63117
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Fenton in the Conference Center, 1015 Bowles Avenue, Fenton, Mo. 63026
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – Lake Saint Louis in the Education Center – Koenig Building, 400 Medical Plaza, Lake Saint Louis, Mo. 63367
SSM Health DePaul Hospital May Center, 12303 DePaul Drive (Bridgeton), 63044, and
SSM Health Outpatient Center, Lewis and Clark Conference Room, 711 Veterans Memorial Parkway, St. Charles, Mo. 63303.
