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Time for Immunizations

By KWGS News

Tulsa, OK – Now is a good time to prepare for the next school year by arranging to get children vaccinated as soon as possible. Parents who take their children now for vaccination can avoid the back-to-school rush that starts every year in August.
The demand for vaccine turns into a rush every year before school starts because of the boosters due before children enter kindergarten. Booster doses of DTaP and polio vaccines and second doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and varicella (chickenpox) vaccines are routinely recommended at 4 to 6 years of age and are required to attend kindergarten. Also, children transferring into Oklahoma schools from other states may need hepatitis A vaccine. This vaccine is not required in all states, however, hepatitis A vaccine is required for all Oklahoma students in grades kindergarten through twelfth.
"Immunization is one of the best ways to protect the health of children against dangerous diseases. We encourage families to have their children immunized now while clinic traffic is slower. As we get closer to the start of school, immunization clinics can become quite busy. " said Tulsa Health Department Interim Director Reggie Ivey.
Infants, children, and adolescents must be accompanied by their parent or guardian and bring a copy of their current immunizations record to receive immunizations. Immunizations are available free of charge for children from birth through 12th grade at the following locations and times:
Saturday, July 24th from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on a walk-in basis at the James O. Goodwin Health Center located at 5051 S. 129th E. Avenue in Tulsa.
Expo Square Health Center
4616 E. 15th Street, Tulsa, OK
Walk-in basis
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Mondays - Thursdays
8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Fridays
James O. Goodwin Health Center
5051 S. 129th E. Avenue, Tulsa, OK
Walk-in basis
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Mondays - Thursdays
8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Fridays
Central Regional Health Center
315 S. Utica, Tulsa, OK
Walk-in basis
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Mondays - Thursdays
8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Fridays
North Regional Health Center
5424 N. Madison
Tulsa, OK
Call (918) 591-6006 for an appointment
Bixby Community Health Center
8120 E. 126th Street
Bixby, OK 74008
Call (918) 369-3155 for an appointment
Collinsville Community Health Center
1201 W. Center
Collinsville, OK 74021-3111
Call (918) 596-8650 for an appointment

Sand Springs Health Center
306 E. Broadway
Sand Springs, OK 74063-7911
Call (918) 591-6100 for an appointment
Even though the following vaccines are not required to attend school, they are recommended for children ages 11 years and older:
A second dose of varicella vaccine
A Tdap booster to protect against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria, because immunity decreases with time
Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) because the risk for this disease increases from 15 through 24 years of age
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for girls to prevent two types of the virus that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer
All college students are required to have MMR and hepatitis B vaccines, however, first-time enrollees who will reside on campus are also required to receive the meningococcal vaccine. College students under the age of 19 can receive these vaccinations at local Tulsa Health Department locations free of charge through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. College students 19 years of age and older can receive immunizations at local Tulsa Health Department clinics through the adult immunizations clinics. The costs are as follows: MMR $20, Hepatitis B (3 shot series, $45 each), and Meningococcal $125. These requirements do not apply to students enrolling only in courses delivered via the Internet or through distance learning in which the student is not required to attend class on campus.
For more information visit the Tulsa Health Department web site at www.tulsa-health.org or call 918-582-WELL (9355).