To help parents get their child’s immunizations up-to-date for this year’s Exclusion Day, Lane County Public Health’s (LCPH) Communicable Disease Program will be hosting a 2-day, walk-in immunization clinic on Tuesday, February 19, and Wednesday, February 20.

Every year, Lane County Public Health officials review more than 50,000 records in order to make sure children’s immunizations are up-to-date. For those children whose immunization records are incomplete, a letter has been sent to their parents asking them to schedule the required immunizations for their children.

“We know that it can be challenging for parents to find the time to schedule their child’s immunizations, hopefully these clinics will ease that burden,” said Lane County Communicable Disease Supervisor Cindy Morgan.

This year, LCPH sent out just over 1,600 letters as compared to last year’s 1,606 and 2,222 the year before. The increase is good news for public health officials but highlights areas for improvement. In order to achieve what’s called “community immunity” or “herd immunity,” which protects any given population from widespread communicable disease outbreaks, 94 percent of the population must be immunized and that is still not the case.

“It's easy to think of your child’s immunizations as exclusive to their own, individual health,” said Lane County Chief Health Officer Patrick Luedtke, M.D. “The fact is, each and every one of our children’s immunizations affects their health, the health of their classmates and the health of our entire community.”

The clinic will take place at Lane County Health & Human Services Charnelton Building at 151 W. 7th Ave. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  on the third floor in room 310. Families who live in Springfield and neighboring communities can call (541) 682-3550 to schedule an appointment at one of the other Community Health Centers of Lane County clinics. Cost should not be a barrier to required immunizations, which are covered by the Vaccine for Children program. Children can also receive their required immunizations at their private provider, or school-based health clinics.

IMPORTANT: CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS CHOOSE TO EXEMPT THEM FROM REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS MAY STILL BE EXCLUDED IN THE EVENT OF AN OUTBREAK AT THAT SCHOOL PER OAR 581-022-2220.

Lane County Public Health is a department of Lane County Health & Human Services. Their programs and services create a healthier and safer community through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats. Learn more about the work of Lane County Health and Human Services at: http://www.lanecounty.org/HHS.