COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment will sponsor an H1N1 flu vaccination clinic at The Citadel shopping mall, 750 Citadel Drive East, in Colorado Springs, starting Monday, Dec. 14. This vaccination clinic is made possible through a partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA).   

The H1N1 flu vaccination clinic at The Citadel will be open in a vacant storefront on the second floor, next to JCPenney^TM:

• Mondays, 2 to 5 p.m.
• Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon
• Fridays, 2 to 5 p.m. (closed Christmas Day)
• Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon

VNA nurses will provide H1N1 flu vaccination at no cost. While most Coloradans can receive the vaccine, people who should not receive the influenza vaccine include:

• People allergic to eggs and people who have had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccination
• People who got Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within six weeks of getting an influenza vaccine
• Children younger than 6 months of age
• People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated)

“It is still important to get vaccinated to protect yourself and others around you from H1N1 flu, and The Citadel location is another option for residents of El Paso County as part of our strategy to provide multiple points of access,” said Kandi Buckland, R.N., M.P.A., executive director of the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment.

The Citadel clinic location also is an opportunity for children 9 and younger who have received their first dose of H1N1 flu vaccine to receive their “booster.”  At least 21 days should elapse between the first vaccination and the booster.

H1N1 flu vaccination is the best way to prevent H1N1 flu. Another option is H1N1 flu vaccination provided by the Health Department through a partnership with Peak Vista Community Health Centers and its Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. Clinics offered in the Care Mobile start at 8 a.m. on Dec. 14 at 14550 Edison Road in Yoder and Dec. 21 at 8308 Del Rio Road in Peyton.

Work is under way to schedule clinic times and locations in January.

Vaccine also is available through health care providers and some local pharmacies.

For more information about H1N1 flu and where to get vaccinated, visit www.elpasocountyhealth.org,  or call 2-1-1, the Pikes Peak United Way’s Health and Human services phone line, or the toll-free Colorado Help Line at (877) 462-2911.