Press Releases: Northwest
January 25, 2005
Kaiser Permanente to offer flu shots to the general public at its North Lancaster medical office
SALEM, Ore. – Kaiser Permanente is offering flu shots to the general public at its North Lancaster Medical Office, 2400 Lancaster Drive NE, in Salem. The flu shot will be available for $20 (free to Kaiser Permanente members) on a drop-in basis, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. until supplies are exhausted. The shots will be available only at North Lancaster - not at Kaiser Permanente's Skyline Medical Office.
Kaiser Permanente had been following government restrictions on who it could vaccinate against the flu. Those restrictions were lifted earlier this month. Kaiser Permanente has already vaccinated more than 90,000 of its health plan members against influenza. With demand falling due to milder weather and a slow start to the flu season, Kaiser Permanente still has some flu vaccine on hand in Salem over and above what it needs to protect its members.
"We've decided to share our remaining vaccine with anyone in Marion and Polk counties who might not have been able to get a flu shot but still wants protection," says Dan Roth, MD, medical director for Kaiser Permanente in Salem.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it takes one to two weeks after being vaccinated for antibodies against influenza to develop and provide protection.
"The flu is already here in the Willamette Valley, but people who haven't had the disease yet can still protect themselves if they get a shot right away," says Dr. Roth.
For the most current information about Kaiser Permanente's flu vaccination program, please call 1-800-813-2000 and press 6. Or log onto the Kaiser Permanente Web site at kaiserpermanente.org.
