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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will provide free H1N1 flu vaccinations for students starting Nov. 16.

CMS, in partnership with the Mecklenburg County Health Department, will distribute free H1N1 vaccine to students at Amay James, Starmount and Tryon Hills Pre-K centers, and Billingsville, Hidden Valley and J.H. Gunn elementary schools. Only students who are enrolled at those schools and whose parents have signed a consent form will be treated.

“These free vaccines to our students will help reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus in our community,” Barb Pellin, assistant superintendent for Pre-K-12 support services said in a statement. “Our schools are working closely with the health department to make sure all of our students receive the vaccine if their parents want them immunized. The program is voluntary and we will not vaccinate children without parental consent, so we encourage families to sign the consent form and send it back to their schools as soon as possible.”

Consent forms have been sent home with every CMS student. Parents can also download the form from CMS’s Web site under the H1N1 link, sign a printed copy and return it to the student’s school.

Vaccinations should be completed district-wide within three months, and CMS is looking for volunteers to get accompany students and handle some administrative tasks.

"We are asking the community to help with these clinics by volunteering at a school," Pellin said. "Volunteers don't need medical expertise because the vaccinations will be handled by trained personnel. But we do need help with escorting students to and from the clinics, as well as administrative tasks. This is an area where community support is so important."

Schools will alert parents when vaccination times are scheduled. Parents can also go to the clinic site.     

   
H1N1 vaccine comes in the form of an injection or nasal spray, which will be administered based on information provided on the consent form. To be fully protected, children under 10 years old will also get a second dose about a month after the first.

To volunteer at a school, call Phyllis Croutch in the Office of Volunteers and Partnerships at (980) 343-4418.

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