This fall Wake County will make flu vaccinations available to residents this fall . The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 month old and older be vaccinated against the flu each year.
Although there are flu clinics in Raleigh (listed below), the nearest location available to people who live in or near Wake Forest is the Northern Regional Center at 350 East Holding Avenue in Wake Forest, and there are no clinics, only appointments. You are urged to call the center at 919-562-6300 to set up an appointment for yourself and your family members.
After the Gazette editor questioned why there were no clinics planned for the regional centers, Wake County Human Services spokesman Elizabeth Brandt said in an email, “Wake County used data and lessons learned from previous clinics to make decisions about when and where to hold walk-in flu vaccination clinics in 2016.
“Participant data showed that clinics held at the Sunnybrook Public Health Building and Millbrook Human Services Center in 2014 and 2015 were highly attended. Participant numbers from clinics held at Wake County Human Services Regional Centers in 2014 and 2015 were low, which showed that the Regional Centers already did a great job meeting the flu shot needs of their clients through their existing systems. Residents are able to call and make an appointment to receive their flu shots at a Regional Center on a date and time most convenient for them. The Regional Centers are open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
“After analyzing two years of data, Wake County decided to move forward with 2016 walk-in flu vaccination clinics at the Sunnybrook Public Health Building and Millbrook Human Services Center.”
Insurance will pay for the vaccinations in most cases. The county accepts traditional Medicare Part B, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Medicaid (adults 21 years and older with Medicaid may be charged a $3 co-pay for their vaccine) and North Carolina Health Choice insurance. You must bring your insurance card with you.
For those without insurance, the cost for regular flu shots at Wake County Human Services locations is $30. The cost of high dose flu vaccine is $60.
There is no charge for flu vaccine this year for pregnant women without health insurance, or children who qualify for the federal government’s Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program.
For those who have transportation to Raleigh, Wake County is offering daytime and evening flu vaccine clinics where no appointment is needed. They are held at the Public Health Center at 10 Sunnybrook Road every Thursday through Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Clinic E and at 7 p.m. on these Thursdays, Nov. 3, Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 in Room G-35.
There will also be a no-appointment-needed flu vaccine clinic at the Millbrook Human Services Center, 2809 East Millbrook Road, Raleigh on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 1 to 5 p.m.
