Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network Hosts Flu Clinics for Local Children

NEWPORT, NH – Through a grant from the State of NH Department of Health and Human Services, the Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network managed school-based flu immunization clinics in October and November that vaccinated over 750 local children in 21 schools within four school districts, up from 570 students in the 2014-2015 school year. This reflects an increase from about 47% to over 60% of students vaccinated against the flu.

Nancy Houghton, a consultant working with the County, said that Charlestown schools participated in the first clinic of the year in early October and the immunization season concluded with clinics at the Newport schools in December. The public health network immunized children in Charlestown Primary School, Charlestown Middle School, and North Charlestown Community School; Croydon Village School; Acworth Center School; Alstead Primary School; Sara Porter School; Vilas Middle School; Kearsarge Regional Elementary Schools in New London, Sutton, Bradford, and Warner; Cornish and Unity Elementary Schools; Richards and Towle Schools in Newport; and Claremont Middle School, Maple Avenue, Disnard, and Bluff Elementary Schools in Claremont.

The school-based clinics offer free flu immunizations to students in the hopes of reducing influenza outbreaks. The cost of a sick child is tangible to the family and to the schools: statistics show that a family will save over $450 per child if their family remains healthy over the school year. The Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network credits the school nurses and administration who were cooperative, organized, and helpful in making these clinics happen.

Kirsten Dattilio, Regional Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network since September, has been working with Nancy Houghton to run the clinics. Houghton is a long time Medical Reserve Corps volunteer for the region and has assisted with the clinics for the past four years. Nurses are provided by Lake Sunapee Region VNA and Hospice, where the clinics were organized by Catherine Freudenberg. As they have for the past three years, nurses Jan Sahler and Judy Morrissey traveled with Houghton to each clinic to administer the vaccines through a nasal mist or injection. Students who receive the vaccine remain under supervision for 15 minutes, pick out a sticker, and return to class.

You can follow the Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network on Facebook at @GSCPHN. The Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network is a collaborative of the county, municipalities and numerous health and human service agencies, schools, and community groups that work to improve our region’s capacity and capability to manage all health emergencies.

************

Press Release Contact:  Kirsten Dattilio, EP & SBC Coordinator

Tel. (603) 863-2560 Ext. 158 / Email:  phn@sullivancountynh.gov

The following was written by my 11 year old son, Gawain.  Hopefully our Presidential candidates find this and read it, because it is a message that needs to be heard by all of us.

How can you promote Americanism or love of country?

You can promote Americanism or love of country by practicing or doing things such as flying the American flag, honoring the pledge, and letting people practice their religion. There are more ways but for now, you will see the importance of these three ways.

Fly an American flag. The American flag is very important. It represents us; not us as in you and me, us as in the whole country. A living country. It represents all of the United States of America. Flying it shows that you love and care about the country. The flag is also something of a symbol of hope. The country will still be here and alive as long as one American flag is still flying. Francis Scott Key, the writer of the National Anthem, was being held captive in the War of 1812. He thought that the battle was lost, but when he looked, he saw the American flag still standing. He knew that we were still fighting and that there was still hope. This is only one way to show love of country.

Another way to promote Americanism is to honor the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge is like a promise to our country. It means that we are one nation. We are undividable. We cannot be broken. Threats are plaguing the nation. Bad things are happening. Isis, for one, and then there is the crisis with addiction also. We need to be good Americans now, more than ever. We need to work together. Some people don’t even know where to start. Honoring and living by the Pledge of Allegiance is as good a place as any. It reminds us that we need to work together and love our country. We need to be one nation under God. We need to be indivisible. We need to have liberty and justice for all.

One more way to promote Americanism is to let people have their religion. Religion is an important thing. Other people let you believe what you believe, so let them believe what they believe. whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or many other religions. Let them have that religion, like we have ours. The pilgrims, the reason America was found and colonized, came here for the freedom to have their religion without being
punished. Don’t destroy the reason we are, and have this great country.

These are some of the many ways you can show Americanism and love for your country. There are many more. There are lots of things you could do to show love for the country. So I suggest that you get out there and do  them.