MANATEE — H1N1 vaccine clinics will start at Sarasota County elementary schools Friday, but don’t expect to see them in Manatee County schools anytime soon.
That’s because the Manatee County Health Department is still waiting on parent consent forms to be printed. And the health department said it has not yet set aside any vaccinations for the schools.
“As we get them (vaccines) in, they’re going out to the high-risk groups such as pregnant moms and caretakers for children 6 months and under,” said Ron Cox, epidemiologist for the health department.
Even after the 50,000 or so consent forms are printed, they will need to be delivered to the schools, sent home with children, signed by parents and returned to the health department before officials will determine how to set up vaccine clinics at Manatee schools.
Regardless of whether parents want the swine flu vaccination for their children, the Manatee County Health Department wants all consent forms to be returned before it will organize vaccine clinics at schools.
“We have to get consent first,” Cox said. “But we’d have to know how much consent there is before we know how much vaccine we’ll need” for school clinics.
Gwen Brown, chair of Manatee’s Board of County Commissioners, said she was concerned the health department wants all consent forms returned before going ahead with clinics.
“If you’re going to wait on everybody, that’s like are you waiting on the flu to come,” Brown said. “Not all parents are going to send back a signed slip.”
Brown plans to discuss her concerns Monday with Dr. Jennifer Bencie, director of the Manatee County Health Department.
Commissioner Joe McClash said he plans to bring the issue up for discussion at Tuesday’s county commission meeting.
“I think it’s very timely for the Board of County Commissioners to have an update and brief that gives us confidence that our community is taken care of in light of this possible epidemic of the swine flu,” McClash said. “We will make the inquiry to see if, in fact, there’s something that needs to be expedited.”
The eight-page consent form packets were initially to be sent to schools Oct. 16. Then school district officials expected the forms to be distributed to students at the end of October.
Neither Cox nor Margi Nanney, spokeswoman for the Manatee County School District, knew when the printing of the consent forms would be finished and ready for distribution to students.
“I don’t know what the specific problem is, if there was a problem at all,” Cox said.
The Sarasota County Health Department announced Friday it will start issuing swine flu vaccinations at elementary schools on Nov. 6-7. Consent forms have been delivered to all Sarasota County students.
Dianne Shipley, spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Health Department, said parents of elementary students are asked to bring the consent forms with them to the clinic. Parents of middle and high school students have been asked to mail in their consent forms since those vaccinations will be issued during school hours.
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