[BHS etree] BUSD: Berkeley Public Health Update on H1N1 Vaccines in the Schools

[bhs at idiom.com]

PLEASE do not reply to this email, contact Mark Coplan
[mailto:Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us] 

Berkeley's Health Officer, Dr. Janet Berreman provided Superintendent Huyett
with this important update on the H1N1 Vaccine Clinics in the schools in
November, and he asked me to share it with the community.

Mark Coplan, BUSD Public Information Officer

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The Original Message:

Hello Bill and Neil,

Thank you so much for your support of the effort to make vaccine available
to BUSD students.  I understand the planning is progressing well.  As you
may be aware, vaccine has been arriving more slowly and in smaller
quantities than we (and others) anticipated.  We are apprehensive that we
may not have adequate vaccine to hold clinics in all schools the week of
Nov. 16.

I believe the prudent approach is to continue planning for vaccine clinics
in all of the elementary schools that week, but to delay the middle school
and high school clinics until the week after the Thanksgiving holidays. 
Public Health staff who are working with principals will be working on these
details, but I wanted to let you know.  I remain optimistic about our
ability to offer clinics as scheduled the week of 11/16 in elementary
schools, but you should be aware that those clinics are contingent on having
adequate vaccine.

Vaccine delivery throughout California has been uneven to date, with some
health jurisdictions receiving substantial supplies, and others receiving
little or none-without any apparent reason or explanation.  Berkeley has
still received only one very small shipment.

Fortunately, Kaiser has received significant supplies, and Alameda County
has received vaccine as well.  So there are options available to students
and staff who are in the priority vaccine groups:

* Kaiser patients can be vaccinated at Kaiser (their website has
information about dates, times, and locations).

* Health care providers in Alameda County outside of Berkeley may
have vaccine-families should check with their providers.

* Alameda County public health department is offering public H1N1
vaccine clinics at various locations-again, the Alameda Co website has
information.

The situation is fluid, and this is an unprecedented undertaking made more
difficult by state budget constraints and furloughs.  So we are all
grappling with the need to remain flexible and adapt to changing conditions.

Thanks,

Dr. Janet Berreman, City of Berkeley Acting Health Officer

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Mark A. Coplan
Public Information Officer, BUSD
510-644-6320 Cell: 510-472-3811
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us
Berkeley Unified School District
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, Ca 94704-1180