Availability of Flu Shots (A Convoluted Relationship Between Private vs. Public)

When your health care provider is reluctant to order flu vaccines because the government is offering "free" flu clinics, and they were afraid to lose money by ordering too much - it shows the for-profit nature of the health care system and how the private and public sector is messing up each other. Sutter don't even have thermasil free vaccines for the babies.

Today under the frustration of unable to get the H1N1 vaccines (2nd dose for the kids, first dose for me) from all of our health care providers, we ended up going to the W. Sac "open to all" free flu clinic. It's not that we wanted to deplete the stock for the uninsured, it's because our health care providers (both adults and children's) have no vaccines in sight. The doctor's office even told us repeatedly to check out the free clinics first before "calling them back later to check on supplies"...

On the W. Sacramento clinic - there's hardly a line and the wait is less than 20 minutes. Kudos to Yolo County Health Department - it's very well organized, all kinds of vaccines are available, single or multi-dose (see ). Though seeing the RN/Police officers/volunteers easily out-numbered the people seeking vaccines felt like a waste of resources. Like the Sacbee reported, it's the poor and under-educated (who probably won't/don't have the time to read the newspaper for information on the free vaccine clinic) who are short-changed on getting the vaccine. They need to spread the words more. I don't see the free flu clinics advertised in the libraries, no flyers in the community, the only places I see the free flu clinics mentioned is the newspapers, and from my son's school's district. What about those people who don't read the paper or don't have kids within the school district? AND they only call people's homes when they don't have enough "customers" at the Davis flu clinic? And they consider the failed marketing of the flu shots to those really need it an accomplishment and gloat about the "resourcefulness of using the PA system at a grocery store/calling 9,200 people" after they realized their failure to reach the people who're most at risk for H1N1?

Another note - a local church of a friend is offering free H1N1 vaccine for their members only (from one "resourceful" doctor member), while the doctor's offices/the entire County are short on vaccines? One wonders how the vaccines are really distributed..

Thanks for reading. Thoughts and comments welcomed.