Henry County Public Health offers new vaccines and plans clinic renovations

MT. PLEASANT — As Henry County Public Health seeks to serve the Henry County community to the best of their abilities, they will begin renovations to their office to make their office more inclusive and comfortable for all. Along with this, HCPC continues to offer a variety of vaccines and immunizations including the newly approved RSV vaccine for babies and those over 60 years of age.

“We wrote a grant to improve our immunization clinic to be more inclusive with autistic and disabled children,” Public Health Director Shelley Van Dorin said.

According to Van Dorin one way the grant money will be used is to reorient the door to the clinic to free up more space inside.

“Our clinic isn’t that big anyway, and this will really open it up and allow better for better care,” Van Dorin explained.

Additionally, Public Health will use the grant money to install a dimmer switch and a mural to help create a more comfortable atmosphere for those receiving vaccinations at the clinic.

According to Van Dorin, a dimmer switch is “one of the things that really assists with people that have anxiety.”

The mural, which will be located in the immunization room, will help to reduce anxiety and create a more comfortable atmosphere, as well.

“We want to paint a mural on the two walls where we give shots that will have an underwater theme and will give kids things to look at,” Van Dorin explained.

While Van Dorin believes the renovations will be covered by the $4,635 grant, she did assure Henry County Supervisors that Public Health still has $2,000 of donations they will use to cover anything that goes over the grant amount.

While the Public Health Clinic prepares for the improvements to their space, they will still give immunizations including COVID, RSV, and Flu shots.

According to Henry County Public Health, they gave 3,793 total shots of these three immunizations in 2023. This breaks down to 109 RSV shots since September, 674 COVID shots, and 693 Flu shots.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages individuals to receive their Flu shots by the end of October, it may not be too late to stop by public health for an immunization.

“However, even if you are not able to get vaccinated until November or later, vaccination still is recommended because flu most commonly peaks in February and significant activity can continue into May,” the CDC states on their website.

“With it being winter, we’re always concerned with respiratory illnesses,” Public Health Community Outreach Coordinator Kelly Carr said.

One particular respiratory illness mentioned by Carr is RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine for in May of last year for those 60 years of age and older. According to a statement from the FDA released last summer, they approved a new vaccine for RSV for infants as well.

Before this vaccine’s release, Van Dorin said there just was not one available to babies or older adults.

“There was no vaccine for RSV at all,” Carr said. “When you have preemie babies, they gave something called synergist, but it wasn’t like a vaccine. It’s not like what we have now.”

Much like the flu shot, HCPH encourages families to still consider coming in for RSV immunizations with Nirsevimab as the season lasts into early spring.

“RSV antibody immunization is recommended for all infants who are younger than 8 months, born during or entering their first RSV season,” The CDC states in information added to their website mid-January of this year. “Most infants whose mothers received an RSV vaccine do not need to also get an RSV antibody. Additionally, a dose of RSV antibody is also recommended for children between the ages of 8 — 19 months entering their second RSV season who are in at least one of these groups:

Children who have chronic lung disease from being born premature and are requiring medical therapy for their lung disease

Children who are severely immunocompromised

Children with cystic fibrosis who have severe disease

American Indian and Alaska Native children”

The CDC also recommends the vaccine for women who are 32-36 weeks pregnant during September through January.

Henry County Public Health accepts most insurances and even offers a Vaccines for Children program for those that are uninsured or underinsured.

Immunization clinic hours are Tuesday from 9-11 a.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 p.m. and the first and third Thursday of every month from 1-6 p.m.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com