Health officials in Kansas City, Mo. are bracing for the annual back-to-school “rush” of parents and children coming in for needed immunizations before school begins. Ron Griffin, division manager of communicable disease prevention and public health preparedness at the health department, put it this way in a news release:
"Although parents can get their child's back-to-school immunizations anytime in the summer, we always see a rush as the first day of school nears," says Griffin. "Many schools will not admit them without updated vaccinations or a religious waiver."
But acknowledging the reality that some parents may still procrastinate, the department is expanding its child immunization clinic. No appointments are necessary. Here’s the schedule:
- Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The department says people will need to bring a copy of their child's vaccine records or a school letter stating what shots are needed. If a child previously got vaccinated through the health department, copies of that record will be available when registering at the clinic.
The shots are also free for kids who don't have insurance, don’t have vaccine coverage through their insurance, or are eligible for Medicaid's Vaccine For Children program.
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