Oct 21, 2007
First flu clinic of season in Wilton is also emergency drill
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Alex Ellenthal, 10, grinned after his flu shot Monday, Oct. 8, and nonchalantly said it didn’t hurt.
On Columbus Day hundreds came to get their flu shots at Driscoll School, and Alex was one of them. It wasn’t the typical flu clinic sponsored by Nursing & Home Care at Comstock Community Center — this one had a twist. It was a flu clinic designed to test Wilton’s ability to respond to a pandemic flu outbreak.
“We’re testing this for the first time today,” said Sharon Bradley, CEO of Nursing & Home Care, referring to the emergency drill Monday.
There were members from Nursing & Home Care, the Community Emergency Response Team, EMS, police, town officials and other volunteers — 45 in all — on hand to help with paperwork, administer shots, help with parking and crowd management.
Typically, members from Nursing & Home Care would help those seeking shots with their paperwork and administer the flu shots, and the extra steps gave them an “opportunity to work with other departments,” Ms. Bradley said.
To aid with those youngsters who were apprehensive about getting the vaccine, school nurses were on hand to let them see a familiar face.
One young girl hid behind her mother as the two walked through the tables. But, when she saw Loretta Ertl, a school nurse, the girl’s face softened.
“It’s going well,” Ms. Ertl said.
“We’ve gotten feedback from the public” that it’s gone well, Ms. Bradley echoed Ms. Ertl’s comment.
Florence Messemer was a volunteer with Nursing & Home Care. As a resident of Ogden House, she said she volunteers around town as often as she can.
“I did it last year,” Ms. Messemer said, speaking about volunteering for the flu clinic. She said this year’s event was a little more stressful.
“It’s more intense,” said Helen Rendell-Baker of Nursing & Home Care. “We’re following pretty intense guidelines to make sure it goes very smoothly.”
First Selectman William Brennan said, after speaking with Fire Chief Paul Milositz, things at the drill were going pretty well.
“The turnaround is eight minutes,” from signing in to getting the shot, Mr. Brennan said.
He said officials in Wilton have participated in various emergency drills over the past couple of years, and have learned what may work and what may not. He attributed other training to the smoothness of the drill.
Mr. Brennan said Driscoll School is the emergency site because it has a generator in case power goes out, has refrigeration and ample parking.
“It’s met our expectations with how we’ve planned the event,” said Chief Milositz, the town’s emergency services director.
Flu symptoms
After getting their shots, people exiting Driscoll were given flyers and pamphlets about preparing for a pandemic flu. One flyer included facts about the flu vaccine.
The flyer from Nursing & Home Care said the flu spreads from infected people to the nose or throat of others. Anyone can get the flu, and those six months and older can receive an inactivated flu vaccine. The inactivated vaccine (the shot) is the dead virus injected into the muscle. The “live” vaccine is a weakened vaccine sprayed into the nose. At the Nursing & Home Care clinics, anyone three years and older may receive a flu shot.
Symptoms of the flu may last a few days in most people. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, chills, fatigue, cough, headache and muscle aches.
Medical officials recommend getting a flu vaccine in October or November. The next flu clinic from Nursing & Home Care is on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 9 to noon at Comstock. There is also one scheduled for Friday, Nov. 23, from 10:30 to 1:30 at the Wilton Library.
Information: Nursing & Home Care flu hotline at 834-6341, ext. 444.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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