Fall = Flu Clinics

Stefanie DeVita

This past Saturday I volunteered with the Washtenaw County chapter of the Medical Reserve Corps and helped out at their third annual drive-through flu clinic at Huron Valley Ambulance. I know right? Drive-through flu shots? How awesome is that! Instead of associating drive-throughs with greasy and fattening foods, how about drive-throughs for something that’s actually good for you!

Sad to say I wasn’t needed to actually give flu shots. There were already enough people to handle the demand when I got there. Being the day before Halloween, we weren’t expecting to be too busy. The Washtenaw Health Department brought 600 doses of flu vaccine, and between 9Am-3PM we used almost 300 doses. Not as busy as they wanted, but I thought that was fantastic, considering they were only given to adults 18 and over. By the end of the day, 300 more people in AA got protected against flu! And the fact that it was slow at times is really a good thing. There are tons of places where flu vaccine is now available! It’s just as convenient to go to a CVS or Walgreens anytime and get a flu shot as it is to go to a Saturday drive-through clinic.

After 8 weeks of sitting in classrooms all day every day, it felt amazing to go out into the field and actually practice public health. It’s as close to patient care as I’ve been in almost two years. It still makes me wonder while I do my frequent job searches if and how I’ll incorporate my nursing background with my new public health training. I do love a good flu clinic…