Flu Shots

UPDATED 12/10/2009

***The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington is not currently offering the seasonal flu vaccine. 

The following information is subject to change based on the supply of vaccine that is available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For questions regarding the information listed below, please call our office at 360-313-1390.

H1N1 Flu shots are now available to the general public.  Those in the PRIORITY GROUPS listed below are greatest risk and should consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible. To receive a H1N1 shot at the Free Clinic you or your dependent MUST be uninsured.

Priority Groups include:

• Any healthy individual 6 months to 24 years old. (Children 9 years old and under will need to receive two H1N1 doses – each dose separated by four weeks). With the exception of pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, all individuals ages 2-24 will be asked to receive the intranasal vaccine.
• Any individual older than 24 years who is pregnant, works in health care, or lives with/takes care of a child 6 months of age or less.

• Any individual ages 24-64 with a medical condition that places them at higher risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system. Individuals within this specific group will need the injectable vaccine.

H1N1 flu shots for individuals 2 years of age and up are currently available on:

Mondays & Wednesdays: Sign-in begins at 1:00pm

Fridays: Sign-in begins at 8:30am.

We request that uninsured children 6 months of age to 23 months of age come to our regularly scheduled Immunization clinics the first 3 Wednesdays of every month at 5:00pm.

These are first-come, first-serve, walk-in only clinics. Each clinic fills quickly. Please be advised that a wait time of up to two hours may exist. 

Contraindications to intranasal vaccine:

• People younger than 2 years of age;
• Pregnant women;
• People 50 years of age and older;
• People with a medical condition that places them at higher risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system;

• Children younger than 5 years old with a history of recurrent wheezing;
• Children or adolescents receiving aspirin therapy;
• People who have had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder of the nervous system, within 6 weeks of getting a flu vaccine,
• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs or who are allergic to any of the nasal spray vaccine components.

Contraindications to injectable vaccine:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs,
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination,
• People who have developed Guillian-Barré syndrome within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine,
• Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and

• People who have a moderate to severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated).