ST. LOUIS - For the eighth consecutive year, Barnes-Jewish Hospital will provide free seasonal flu shots to the St. Louis community. It is highly recommended that everyone receive the seasonal flu vaccine each year to protect against the flu, or influenza—a contagious respiratory illness with symptoms such as fever, body aches and sore throat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 Americans are hospitalized with flu-related complications each year.

In 2012, more than 37,000 St. Louisans were vaccinated at the community flu shot clinics. Thanks to funding from The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the community will again benefit from free flu vaccines. All vaccines are free of latex and preservatives and are available for people age 6 months and older.

For safety reasons, flu shots are not available to individuals who have had a previous allergic reaction to the flu vaccine, those with egg allergies or anyone who has ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Free seasonal flu shots are available at the following locations while supplies last. Pre-registration is not required. Some sites will not provide pediatric vaccines.

Sunday, September 29
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Adult and pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older)
Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Medical Office Building 2
10 Barnes West Drive, Creve Coeur, MO 63141
Free parking is available on site.

Monday, September 30-Friday, October 4
7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Adult vaccinations only (18+ years old)
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Main Floor Lobby
One Barnes-Jewish Hospital Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63110
Parking is available in the South Garage for $1.50/hr.

Monday, September 30-Friday, October 4
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older)
Center for Advanced Medicine, 3rd Floor Lobby
4921 Parkview Place, St. Louis, MO 63110
Parking is available in the North Garage and Forest Park/Laclede Garage for $1.50/hr.

Barnes-Jewish will also offer flu shots at no cost at many other locations in the St. Louis area. Click here for a complete list of dates and times, or call 314-TOP-DOCS (867-3627).

Who should have a flu shot?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following adults be vaccinated each year:

• People at high risk for complications from the flu

• People 65 years and older

• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that house those with long-term illnesses

• Adults with chronic heart or lung conditions, including asthma

• Adults who needed regular medical care or were in a hospital during the previous year because of a metabolic disease (like diabetes), chronic kidney disease, or weakened immune system (including immune system problems caused by medicines or by infection with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV/AIDS])

• Women who will be pregnant during the influenza season

• People with any condition that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions (that is, a condition that makes it hard to breathe or swallow, such as brain injury or disease, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other nerve or muscle disorders)

• People 50 to 64 years of age. Because nearly one-third of people 50 to 64 years of age in the United States have one or more medical conditions that place them at increased risk for serious flu complications, vaccination is recommended for all persons ages 50 to 64.

• People who can transmit flu to others at high risk for complications. Any person in close contact with someone in a high-risk group (above) should get vaccinated. This includes all health care workers, household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children younger than 23 months of age, and close contacts of people 65 years and older.

Can my child be vaccinated, too?
Children six months and older can receive a vaccine. Please note that some locations do not offer pediatric doses for children 6 to 36 months.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the following guidelines for children:

• Influenza vaccination is recommended for all children aged 6 months to 5 years.

• Influenza vaccination is also beneficial to older children.

• If this is the first year your child is receiving the flu vaccine and he/she is under the age of 9 years, a second follow-up vaccine is required four weeks after the first dose for maximum effectiveness. (Only the first dose will be given at these clinics; you will need to see your primary health care provider for the follow-up vaccine).

• Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital will require all children 17 years and under to be accompanied by a parent. A grandparent can bring the child with a written consent from the parent.

Other specific information about the vaccines at Barnes-Jewish:

• FluMist, quadrivalent (new in 2013) and intra-dermal vaccines will not be available at the free community flu shot clinics.

• The vaccine does not contain thimerosal.

• A flu shot will not be given if a person has had an allergic reaction in the past, latex allergy, egg allergy or ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

• A flu shot should not be given if a person currently has a fever or respiratory illness.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital is a 1,315 bed teaching hospital affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. The hospital has a 1,763 member medical staff, with many recognized as “Best Doctors in America.” Barnes-Jewish is a member of BJC HealthCare, which provides a full range of health care services through its 13 hospitals and more than 100 health care sites in Missouri and Illinois. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is also consistently ranked as one of America’s “Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.

Contact:
Sarah Kinkade
314-286-0715
[email protected]