(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -August is National Immunization Awareness Month and the Spokane Regional Health District's Immunization Outreach program wants you to be aware of several free vaccination clinics that will be held in the community throughout the month.
The first event takes place on August 10 with a free vaccination clinic hosted by Spokane Police Activities League (Spokane PALS) at Liberty Park (1704 E. 4th Ave.) from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The free clinic will offer all recommended vaccines and is for children ages 2-18, regardless of family income. Vaccines will also be available for adults who financially qualify.
CHAS Health is also conducting two no-cost immunization clinics at Cheney School District health fairs, one on Monday, Aug. 14 at Cheney Middle School (740 Betz Rd., Cheney, WA 99004) from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., and the other on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at Westwood Middle School (6120 S. Abbott Rd., Spokane, WA 99224) from 3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
"Vaccinations also help prevent outbreaks like Spokane’s recent mumps outbreak that ended in July with 334 cases and several documented complications of the disease in children and adults," SRHD Health Officer, Dr. Bob Lutz said. “Despite this outbreak, last school year, 88 percent of our students, grades K-12, were up to date for all school-required vaccines. Our community deserves praise for protecting its health with these rates. We’re excited to build on this momentum during National Immunization Awareness Month.”
Parents are encouraged to access these easy-to-read Washington state immunization requirement charts to learn more about school-required vaccines. Parents can obtain direct access to their family’s vaccine records in the statewide immunization database—including printing the Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) required for child care and school entry—by registering for My Immunization Record (MyIR) on the Washington State Department of Health’s site here.