Travelers at San Diego International Airport (SAN) can get vaccinated for seasonal flu, the H1N1 Swine flu, and six other diseases before catching their flights.
The fee based program is being offered by San Diego based health care provider Pacifica Medical. The company, founded in 2002, has a three year contract with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to provide vaccinations annually between October and February, traditionally known as the "flu season".
Inoculations this year didn't start until Friday, January 15, and will continue through late February, and possibly into March. Besides H1N1 and seasonal flu shots, travelers may also choose to be protected against Pneumonia, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, Typhoid Fever, TDAP , tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Whooping Cough), and Meningococcal which produces Meningitis, an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) Preparing to give a flu shot (Photo Credit - Google Images); (BELOW RIGHT) Airport music producer Loren Smith dressed as Santa Claus gets a flu shot (Photo Credit - Loren Smith); (BELOW LEFT) The needles are actually much smaller (Photo Credit - Google Images)
A video and slide show with flu shot images follows this article.
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Fees vary for each type of vaccine. There are also discounts for San Diego residents and for airport employees. For example, the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine will cost travelers $15, $13.50 for San Diego residents, and $7 for airport workers with ID badges. Other types of vaccines cost more, and are also more costly to produce and purchase by health care providers.
Children, and anyone between age 2 to 49 may also choose the H1N1 FluMist nasal spray, which uses live but weakened (attenuated) virus substances, instead of the injections. A professional full time staff of 22 employees, including 16 registered nurses (RN), and 2 licensed vocational nurses (LVN) are available at four vaccination stations to give the shots, two each in Terminal 1 and 2, between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.
Travelers will also receive international vaccination cards approved by the World Health Organization, which will also serve as reminders for any follow up boosters, and can be used as part of their medical records. Information on each vaccine is also given to recipients.
Since the shots are provided in the post TSA security areas, they are only available at this time to ticketed passengers. Considerations are being given to possibly open a curbside vaccination station to make these preventive shots more readily available to airport visitors.
According to Pacifica Medical CEO Jeffrey Sternberg, in an extended telephone interview with the San Diego Airport Examiner, initial reaction to the shots have been positive. "We are very pleased that the public has been so grateful and accepting. There has been no push back, and many people have praised the low cost of our service, some indicating that we even cost less than their local pharmacy," Mr. Sternberg said.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE RIGHT) A child receiving a flu shot (Photo Credit - Google Images); (BELOW LEFT) A flu shot poster (Photo Credit - Google Images); (BELOW RIGHT) Children getting flu shots (Photo Credit - Bpston.com)
The program has been so successful that the company ran out of its supply of seasonal flu shots last Sunday. More has been obtained and will be available at the airport later today. The busiest stations have been in Terminal 1, especially near the Southwest Airlines departure gates.
"There are three factors that affect vaccine acceptance. These are convenience, cost, and awareness. By making these vaccines available at a very competitive price point, while people are waiting for their flights, without long lines or extra trips, time, and stress to their regular health care provider, we feel that we are doing a public service and helping lots of travelers stay healthy," CEO Sternberg remarked. He also hopes to expand these services in the future to include testing for high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
The Airport Authority agrees. According to Steve Shultz, the airport's Depty Director of Public and Community Relations, "The vaccines are yet another customer service initiative provided by the Airport Authority for the convenience and well-being of its passengers."
USA Today lists over 21 airports across the United States that offer flu shots.
According to experts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHSA), each year 5% to 20% of the U.S. population will get the flu. More than 200,000 people will end up hospitalized from flu complications. And about 36,000 people will die from flu related causes. So far, 479 people have died from H1N1 in California out of an estimated 4.3 million people who have been infected. As of the end of December, there have been 62 deaths in San Diego County linked to the H1N1 influenza, according to the HHSA. Fifty-five of the victims were from San Diego County and seven were visiting the area. Locally, 754 people have been hospitalized with the virus, according to the HHSA.
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Comments
Wow, those are some scary big needles in the photos! Thanks for the Swine Flu reminder. Seems like no one talks about it anymore...
Hey, they kind of stole my idea of performing health care at the airport. LOL!
I saw those at SFO, and for $35, I would be lying to say that I didn't consider it for a minute...
Very worthwhile information. Thanks Joel!
If only I had know before my recent trip I wouldn't have arrived back in San Diego and spent a week coughing and congested. I would have been the first in line before I boarded my plane.
What a great place to get the vaccine while waiting around at the airport! I hope it's a great success...
I avoid the flu shots- don't trust them since people died from them years ago.
This is a great health service provided by the airport.
What a useful airport service for those travelers who would choose to utilize it..good job, as always Joel
Cheers...
You had fun finding those needle pix, didn't you, Joel? I've decided to skip the shot (aren't you supposed to get two of them a couple of weeks apart?), but that's certainly an interesting venue in which to administer them.
great idea to give out flu shots at the airport. 2 thumbs up! thx joel for letting everyone know about this.
This airport is amazing. It's like the epicenter of San Diego. Healthcare at the airport is a great idea. Love the photos...very funny! Despite needles looking scary, these shots are extremely important. Thanks for the great article.
I saw the h1n1 shots being advertised at the airport as I prepared to fly from San Diego to Japan via San Francisco. I was appalled at the thought of giving passengers shots before sending them on to a plane. God forbid they were to have one of the side effects listed on the package inserts...and a reaction were to occur while in flight. Does Pacifica just give the shots, or did they also send nurses and doctors on each of the outbound flights? I was thankful no one passed out, had seizures, or an anaphylactic response while on my flights. What a ridiculous idea to give shots to passengers who will be flying. People need to be more responsible about their bodies. You can't just take a shot like it's feel better candy and ignore the potential side effects that could happen. Is no one else outraged about this medical malpractice? I am also curious to see if anyone who got the shots was given the package inserts so they could practice informed consent, before boarding their planes.
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