VA Health Care System offers walk-in flu shot clinics

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is offering walk-in flu shot clinics for veterans the next three Thursdays at all 15 locations, including Rice Lake.

“Getting a flu vaccine every year is the very best action we can take to prevent flu,” said Megan Daman, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program manager at the Minneapolis VA.

When a person with flu sneezes, coughs, talks, or laughs, flu virus can spread into the air as droplets. The droplets can spread to people and surfaces up to six feet away. The flu virus can spread to the hands by touching contaminated surfaces, and then to the eyes, nose or mouth. People can spread flu to others about one day before they feel sick and up to five days after getting sick.

Veterans can protect themselves, their family, their neighborhood, and their community from the flu by getting the flu shot.

“It’s important to me to get vaccinated because I want to stay well so I can care for Veterans, support my colleagues and be present for my family and community,” said Daman. “It’s an easy thing we can all do to keep ourselves and others well.”

The walk-in flu shot clinics will be held Thursdays Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and 10 at Community Based Outpatient Clinics from 1-3 p.m. at 320 South Access Road, Suite 100, Rice Lake; 475 Chippewa Mall Drive, Suite 418, Chippewa Falls; 10369 State Highway 27, Hayward; and 3520 Tower Avenue, Superior.

Everyone age six months and older should get a flu shot every year. Getting a flu shot is the best way to slow the spread of flu.