Fabiola Sosa has children who attend public schools. Although she doesn't speak English, she told me through her translator that the opportunity to get vaccinated is very important to her family.
“It's very difficult because health care costs are so high here in the United States,” Sosa said.
The incident comes days after Oklahoma recorded its first flu-related death of the season. Ellen Neimitaro is the immunization manager for the Tulsa Health Department. She says she hopes events like this will help keep children and their families safe.
“My condolences go out to the families of those who died, but even though there are vaccines that can prevent some of these illnesses and deaths, it's always very difficult,” Neimitalo said.
Neimitaro said convenience was a top priority for the event.
“Obstacles can also include people trying to coordinate appointments, work schedules, and time schedules, so we try to change the time and move it to a slightly later time in the day,” Neimitaro said. said.
Sosa said she couldn't be more grateful to get her child vaccinated.
“She was really excited because there are a lot of people who don't have insurance and this is a big help for them,” Sosa said.
All children over 2 months of age must receive required vaccinations in Oklahoma before attending daycare or school. Neimitalo knew exactly what the health department needed to do when it learned that so many children were not immunized.
“We have many families and students who do not have up-to-date immunization records that prove they have received all the vaccines they need. “We wanted to offer an event to help people get vaccinated. Get vaccinated first,” Neimitalo said.
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