Welcome to Flu Season. Annually at this time, local health departments and private providers around the state urge our citizens to get a flu shot. Do it! Help yourself, your family, your friends and your co-workers by staying healthy this season. Around the U.S.A., over 30,000 people die each year of influenza or influenza-related illnesses. This is not only unacceptable, it’s unnecessary. Be smart. Get your shot. Protect yourself and others. And by the way, you can’t get the flu from a flu shot. That’s just another long-standing rumor. It’s an inactivated (killed) vaccine. ( If you choose to use the nostril spray rather than get a shot, be aware that it is a live, but weakened vaccine. ) Anyone six months of age or older is medically eligible for a flu shot and this year it is anticipated that there will be enough flu vaccine for everyone who wants one. Please take advantage of this. Remember, it takes about two weeks for protection to develop after the shot.
The Bullitt County Health Dept. will provide many off-site locations to get your flu shot, beginning October 6. The schedule is on the front page of this newsletter. After off-site clinics are over, you can come to the Health Dept. on Lees Valley Road in Shepherdsville to get your shot. There’s no excuse not to. We look forward to seeing you.
On Sept. 2, the BCHD began utilizing a sliding fee scale to determine charges for some of the services we provide. Most of our services will not be affected by this change. It’s the same system we’ve used for Family Planning for many years. If you have a question about it, ask our Intake staff.
Lastly, I’m retiring December 27. Thanks for all your support over the years. I leave hoping I’ve been able to help make the county healthier and hopefully better educated about life choices. Thanks to a terrific staff who have made my job a lot less chaotic than when I started. My best to you all.