To prepare for flu season, Bakersfield College will be offering free flu vaccinations on Oct. 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in BC’s southeast parking lot.
Vaccinations will be distributed in a drive-thru method with this major rule: Do not exit your vehicle.
From inside your vehicle, you’ll fill out a form that requires little more than your signature, stick out an arm and receive a vaccination.
Although flu vaccinations are important, flu season isn’t the sole concern. BC and collaborating public agencies such as the public heath department, fire department, police and the Salvation Army, stress the importance of a broader purpose.
According to BC’s Vice President of Marketing Relations, Amber Chiang, there is much more to the story of the drive-thru flu vaccination clinic than what meets the eye.
“As a public agency, BC has a responsibility to the community in the event of an emergency,” Chiang said. “Because of this, Kern County’s Department of Public Health asked BC to conduct a mass vaccination exercise to test its emergency response capabilities.”
For this event, Chiang was appointed public information officer within the Incident Command System, a structure comprised of BC personnel. This structure works as a reporting system, which allows quick communication to get clinics up and running during an emergency.
“BC has been establishing partnerships with city and county public agencies to prepare for emergencies like fires, flooding and even pandemic flu.
“The flu vaccination clinic is an exercise to see how well all the participating agencies manage a mass vaccination demand,” Chiang said.
The drive-thru method is efficient for distribution of vaccinations to a large population in a short period of time during a pandemic. This event will mimic the vaccination process as if it were an emergency.
The flu vaccines will be prepared on site and administered to individuals by BC student nurses.
Registered nurses from Kern Medical Center will be on site, as well as Hall Ambulance and the fire department in case of allergic reaction.
Over 800 flu vaccinations will be administered on a first-come, first-serve basis. When supplies run out at BC, there will be other local locations to get free flu vaccinations.
Chiang encourages the entire community and not just students and staff to participate. “Fill your car with people and come on down,” Chiang said.
Anyone can get a free vaccination, however, an adult must accompany children under 17.