SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego County officials on Tuesday teamed up with National City for a free vaccination clinic as it reminds residents to get their flu shot.
The county is constantly looking for ways to improve their response to situations like the hepatitis outbreak that happened just a couple of years ago in San Diego.
The clinic also served as an opportunity for health officials to connect with the public.
Efren Lozano Jr. was among the many parents who brought his kids to the free clinic.
“They had to get their flu shots for school. It is important for them because they are small,” he said.
Tuesday’s clinic was held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in National City. It is was the first of several planned free clinics that will be held around the county.
Battalion Fire Chief Robert Hernandez also received his flu shot Tuesday.
“We are specialized group that gets involved with people when they are sick,” he said.
Tuesday’s even also served a disaster preparedness drill.
Barbara Jimenez, who is the director of regional operations for the county’s Health and Human Services agency, said, “we learn from every one of these events. How do you ensure community residents or members of the community who might have transportation or language barriers feel comfortable can get those immunization and vaccines? If there was some sort of an outbreak that happened, that it is like OK, we have to vaccine our first responders or whole bunch of people – this sort of process."
Back in 2017, a local health emergency was declared after 592 cases were reported during a hepatitis A outbreak. Twenty people died.
The city and county provided hand washing stations and sanitized sidewalks.
Field foot teams of public health nurses hit the streets to try and get as many people vaccinated as possible.
The next clinic will be held in Logan Heights on October 23. Click here for more information.