Blacksburg Hospital and Pediatrician Providing Free H1N1 Vaccines to Local Daycare Centers

Free H1N1 vaccines will be provided to children attending one of three Blacksburg daycare centers over the next week and a half. Approximately 400 doses will be available which are being provided and administered by David Berry, D.O., Ph.D., of Lewis-Gale Physicians – Blacksburg Pediatrics, and staff members from Montgomery Regional Hospital.

Parents have received forms notifying them of the dates for administration and are required to return them with their children’s names if they choose to have them immunized.  The children must be enrolled at one of the three daycares, and a parent is required to be present for administration of the vaccine.  Vaccine information sheets (VIS) from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will be available for parents to read.

“The health department and public schools have conducted flu clinics, but so far it has been difficult to reach one of the highest risk groups – children under five who are not in school,” said Dr. Berry.  “We chose three large daycares so we could reach more children.  Doses are based on age, so we are trying to reach the youngest – and therefore, more children.”

The vaccines are being made available by Montgomery Regional Hospital, which were provided at no charge by the federal H1N1 program, including needles and syringes.  MRH is donating smaller syringes and needles to deliver the vaccine to babies, and MRH employees will be volunteering the time and labor to administer the vaccines.  

The current schedule for vaccinations is as follows:

Blacksburg Day Care – Friday, Dec. 4, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Rainbow Riders – Tuesday, Dec. 8, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
St. Mary’s Little Angels – Friday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m – 2 p.m.

For more information, please contact Dr. Berry’s office at (540) 443-3940.