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The start of school is just around the corner. For parents this means shopping for school supplies and clothes, but it also means updating their child’s vaccinations. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department Westside Public Health Center began walk-in clinics on Monday to get kids vaccinated in time for school. KSMU’s Theresa Bettmann has this report.
[sound=nurse administering vaccinations]
Three young girls take turns getting their necessary shots for school. They only needed one booster a piece, and were in and out the door in minutes with no tears. Keeping childhood vaccinations up to date is one of the many steps parents must take each year to prepare their kids for school. Ruth Brown is a public health nurse for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. She explains why vaccinations are so important.
“It’s important that kids receive their vaccinations on time just to prevent the spread of diseases. Many we have not seen for some time, but are coming back into circulation. This is due to various reasons like some parents choose not to vaccinate, and there’s a lot of international travel, so many diseases are just a plane ride away. We’ve lately been having measles cases in the United States. So it’s just important that parents make sure that their children are up to date with their vaccinations,” Brown says.
The Westside Health Center will be holding walk-in immunization clinics during the month of August. Brown says that children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and that immunizations required for schools or day cares are free.
“It needs to be a legal parent or guardian. They need to bring the child’s shot records with them, and also it’s helpful if they have their social security number. If they don’t, we can still serve them, but they are required to bring an up to date immunization record,” says Brown.
Immunization clinics will be available without appointment at the Westside Public Health Center located at 660 South Scenic in Springfield. Immunizations are available on Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 a.m., and Tuesdays from 7:30 to 10 a.m. to all school-age children, regardless of where they live. For KSMU News, I’m Theresa Bettmann.
Theresa received her undergraduate degree in sociology at MSU, and will begin graduate studies in MSU's Master of Social Work program this fall. She enjoys writing, drawing, reading, music...and working at KSMU.
