One Of The Best Ways To Strengthen Communities Is By Spreading Knowledge And Information.
Here are answers to some of the most common questions we receive about our Health Hero program. If you can’t find the answer you need, please feel free to reach out to us.
Each year the vaccine is manufactured based upon the strains which are most prevalent. Influenza often adapts throughout the year. The more it adapts, the less effective the vaccines. However, while it may not always stop you from getting the flu, the flu vaccine has been documented to lessen the impact and severity of the flu and its symptoms.
Our program is overseen by Board Certified Physicians who are licensed in the states we serve. They have many years of experience in Family Medicine or Pediatrics. Immunizations are administered by licensed local nurses.
Go to CDC.gov, or click the Vaccine Information Sheets (VIS) links for each vaccine on the For Parents page.
As soon as possible. The more touch points you can create with your team to introduce them to our program and get them excited about promoting it, the more successful the clinic will be.
You are the ultimate advocate for the Health Hero program in your district. We will not be as successful without your support and communication. We rely heavily on you to obtain a list of the right contacts at each school, to communicate expectations to schools, and help us reinforce those throughout the season.
In an ideal situation, the consent forms will be included in the back-to-school packets. We will mail the forms to each school over the summer.
Moving forward without a lot of the challenges we’ve faced in the last couple of years, we anticipate seeing numbers in the range of a 25% average participation throughout your district. We want to work with you toward reaching and even exceeding this goal and keeping students healthy.
We encourage schools to communicate to parents via social media, robo calls, school newsletters, the school website, and any other communication tools they find effective for their school(s). It is expected that these measures are taken for each school so that we can drive towards our target participation numbers.
No insurance? No problem! Our goal is to vaccinate any child regardless of insurance coverage.
Every school clinic will have a Health Hero licensed nurse onsite at all times.
Contact your local department of health to coordinate a Health Hero clinic. Our vaccine pre-orders are placed in the spring to cover current school programs and additional quantities for estimated new school partnerships, therefore we only take on a limited amount of new school systems per year.
Due to all the factors that go into scheduling clinics (geography, school start times, consent form numbers, etc.), we provide an approximate time of arrival at the end of the week prior to your clinic. You will receive a call or email from our team indicating an approximate time and asking for a final consent form count for planning.
We rely heavily on you to know how your school classes are organized by grade level. We encourage you to organize the signed forms in a way that will make the clinic run as smoothly as possible. Typically, we find that having teachers alphabetize them as they turn them in really helps. Then, organize by grade level to make the clinic flow most efficiently. Please keep the line moving and call down students a grade level at a time.
Typically, our nurses can vaccinate ~ 50 children in an hour.
We ask for two tables, four chairs, and two trash cans to help with the clinic flow.
Health Hero will not compel a student to receive a vaccine, nor will we restrain a student in order to administer a vaccine. In such an event, we will send them home with a form to the parent indicating we were unable to vaccinate.
Not at this time. We find this can greatly slow down the efficiency of clinics.
Yes, we will immunize children without health insurance. The state provides the inventory for underinsured and uninsured students. While supplies last, we will provide your student with the flu vaccines regardless of their health insurance status.
No child pays any form of a copay to receive the vaccine with our program. Please have the parent fill out the form to the best of their ability, but know it is free to the family.
Yes, please encourage the parents to do so.
Yes, if we are approved by your district to have a clinic in all of your public schools. We realize numbers may be smaller for some schools, but please keep us informed of the number of signed consent forms so our teams can plan accordingly for staff and supplies.
If you wish for your child to participate, please completely fill out and sign a consent form. These forms need to be returned to your child’s school prior to the clinic date to secure a dose for your child.
V-4 injections will be available to all consented children who do not have any contra-indicators. All vaccines given are preservative-free, mercury-free, Thimerosal-free, and administered by state-licensed nurses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends yearly flu (influenza) vaccines for all children. The flu vaccine offers protection from seasonal flu (type A&B strain).
Yes, we will immunize children without health insurance. The state provides the inventory for underinsured and uninsured students. While supplies last, we will provide your student with the flu vaccines regardless of their health insurance status.
Clinics are scheduled September through December (influenza) and February through June (Tdap, Meningococcal & HPV) in collaboration with school leaders. Returning school districts are prioritized over new participating school districts. You should always verify dates with your school in case of last-minute change requests. If your school is not participating in school-based vaccinations, please connect with your school leaders about participation.
Each child will receive a form with the vaccine(s) given and the date of administration. If you misplace your Proof of Immunization form, you can always request a copy by visiting the Proof of Immunization page on our website and filling out the online form.
No, only parental consent forms need to be turned in.
Health Hero will not compel a student to receive a vaccine, nor will we restrain a student in order to administer a vaccine. In such an event, we will send them home with a form to the parent indicating we were unable to vaccinate.