SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., -Horizons West Medical Group, PC and Regional West Medical Center will offer the second annual “drive-through” flu shot clinic Saturday, October 21 at the Regional West Medical Plaza South parking lot.

The clinic will be held from 8 a.m. to noon. Flu shots will cost $25 per person. Cash and checks will be accepted. Medicare Part B will be billed for those who bring their cards. Credit cards will not be accepted. A second drive-through clinic will be held on Saturday, October 28.

Drive-through flu shots will be given to adults who meet high-risk criteria for flu vaccinations. They include:
--persons 65-years or older
--persons with chronic medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes
--residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities
--pregnant women
--health care personnel who provide direct patient care
--household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than six-months old

To help the flow of traffic, participants are asked to enter the Regional West campus on 42nd Street and to exit onto Avenue B. The first stop is the RehabCenter entrance where patients will complete the necessary paperwork and pay for the vaccination.

Cars will then proceed to the Medical Plaza South entrance where a team of health care providers will give shots through open car windows. Those receiving shots are encouraged to remove their jackets and to wear short sleeves to speed up the process.

Patients receiving their first flu shot should pull over in the designated parking area after receiving the vaccination and wait 15 minutes in case of an allergic reaction.

Flu shots will be available to all children and adults at the regular “walk-in” clinics scheduled for November 7 and 14 at the Regional West Community Health office, located at the Regional West Medical Center South Unit. Pneumonia shots will also be offered at the walk-in clinics.

For more information about flu vaccinations, call Regional West Community Health at (308) 630-1126.

Fast Flu Shots

Follow these tips to keep the line moving:

Step 1
--Enter the hospital campus at 42nd Street and Rugger Drive
--Four people per car, one person per window
--Remove jackets
--Wear short sleeves

Step 2
--Drive to RehabCenter entrance
--Volunteers will help you fill out paperwork
--Pay $25 per person, cash or check only
--Have Medicare Part B card out
--Medicare Part B will be billed for those who bring their card

Step 3
--Drive to Medical Plaza - South entrance
--Get shot and exit onto Avenue B
--If it’s your first flu shot, drive to designated parking and wait 15 minutes in case of allergic reaction
--If no reaction, exit onto Avenue B

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,300 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, we offer care that spans more than 40 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is one of only three Level II Trauma Centers in the state of Nebraska.