PORT ANGELES — You could wait until August to immunize your children, but why?
That’s the message Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, wants parents of school-age children to hear.
Instead of holding off until August, when most parents finally get around to taking their children to get any of the many immunizations required by the state, Locke said now’s a good time to get them if you want to avoid long lines and crowded waiting rooms.
For that very reason, the Clallam County Health Department is offering free back-to-school immunizations for children from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today in the basement of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St.
If you miss today’s session, you can also stop by the county’s small clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, when appointments are not required to have a vaccine administered.
While the immunizations won’t be free after today, most fees are picked up by private or Medicaid insurance, said Ann Johnson, a Clallam County nurse.
Jefferson County Public Health, 615 Sheridan St., Port Townsend, also provides low- or no-cost vaccinations for children, said Lisa McKenzie, the county’s communicable disease program coordinator.
“We double up the number of nurses during the last three weeks of August and the first week of September,” McKenzie said.
“Besides pretty much all physicians in Port Townsend, we also provide walk-in immunizations from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
