Blue Hill- Blue Hill Family Medicine is to receive approximately 500 doses of flu vaccine this week from the State Bureau of Health.  Starting Friday, November 19 at 9:00 AM, Blue Hill Family Medicine will start taking calls to make appointments for a flu shot clinic to be held on Monday and Tuesday, November 22 and 23.

Appointments for flu vaccines will be given only to those patients in high-risk groups, as identified by the Center for Disease Control.

These groups are:

• Appropriate residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities (appropriate in light of the resident's current health prognosis)
  

And the most vulnerable members of the following groups:

• Adults 65 years and older, who are in fair or poor health 
• Pregnant women
• Children and adults (ages 2 - 64 years) with chronic underlying medical conditions:
• Chronic cardiac and pulmonary diseases, including asthma
• Adults and children who required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization during the past year because of:
• Chronic metabolic diseases including diabetes mellitus
• Renal dysfunction (kidney diseases)
• Hemoglobinopathies (blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia)
• Immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medication or by HIV)
   

Each person will be screened for eligibility prior to receiving the flu shot based on CDC guidelines and review of his or her medical record.  According to April Chapman, Manager of Blue Hill Family Medicine, "There is no guarantee that everyone who meets these guidelines will receive a shot. We are expecting to receive about 45% of what we ordered."

BHFM  can only offer inoculations to its own patients. Says Chapman, "We wish that we could offer a shot to everyone who needs one. Unfortunately, because of the shortage this year, this is not possible. We know that we will disappoint some people and we are sorry. We hope people understand what a hard situation this is for everyone." 

BHFM kindly requests that people not call any earlier than 9:00AM on Friday, November 19 for an appointment because the phones will not be staffed prior to that.