Assessment Clinic Opening

South Shore Health will be opening an Influenza Assessment Centre this coming Monday, November 2nd, beginning at 9 a.m. The flu assessment centre is in response to increasing visits to local emergency departments by people with flu-like symptoms, The assessment to be located in the third-floor Ambulatory Care Centre at South Shore Regional Hospital will operate Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until further notice. Adults and children with worsening flu-like symptoms who wish to see a health care professional should visit the Assessment Centre instead of going to hospital emergency departments. This will ease congestion in emergency departments and help prevent the spread of flu to other patients. It is anticipated that wait times for flu complaints will be shorter at the Assessment Centre than at an emergency department.

Flu Clinic Priority

At the beginning of the week, they were worried no one was going to come out for the H-1-N-1 vaccination. That has not been the case with people lining up for hours at clinics across the province and across the country. This afternoon, South Shore Health is holding it's first in a series of clinics in Lunenburg and Queens counties. Public Health officer Dr Richard Gould is suggesting people wait who are NOT in the usual risk groups. More than a dozen health care professionals will be at the Michelin Social club for the clinic this afternoon. Additional clinics are scheduled throughout November. Details can be found at ssdha.nshealth.ca.

The seasonal influenza vaccination will now be available to the usual risk groups: the elderly, the young, and anyone with chronic medical conditions and those in close contact. Everyone over 6 months of age should get the H1N1 vaccination, especially in risk groups like pregnant women and people with heart disease, asthma or diabetes.