OMC-Hancock to Host Flu Shot Event Monday

Ochsner Medical Center-Hancock will host a flu shot event on Monday, January 14, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at 149 Drinkwater Boulevard inside the hospital main entrance.

The flu vaccine will be provided by licensed nurses for $25 self-pay and is covered by most insurances. No appointment is needed to attend the event.

“We often cross paths with people that may be at higher risk of getting or spreading the flu,” said Mark Morgan, M.D., chief of the medical staff, OMC-Hancock. “Protecting the health and well-being of our family, friends and co-workers is a responsibility shared by everyone. The best way to receive this protection is to get the flu vaccine (shot) every year.”

Who should get the flu shot?

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease.
• If you are age 65 or older, make sure to request the High-Dose vaccine which is specifically designed for seniors who often have weaker immune defenses.
• If you have an egg allergy, an egg-free flu vaccine is available, but this vaccine should be received in a medical setting and be supervised by a health care provider.

It takes up to 14 days after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body. For this reason, getting the shot later can still be beneficial, and vaccination can occur throughout flu season, even into January or later.

Since 2010, CDC estimates that flu has resulted in between 140,000 and 960,000 hospitalizations each year. CDC estimates that from 2010-2011 to 2017-2018, influenza-associated deaths in the United States ranged from a low of 12,000 (during 2011-2012) to a high of 79,000 (during 2017-2018).

Flu Shot FACTS

• You can’t get the flu from the flu shot. The shot contains a “dead” (inactive) virus that will not come back to life. There is no such thing as the zombie flu!
• Make sure you receive the quadrivalent flu vaccine. It is designed to protect against four different flu viruses; two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.
• It’s possible to get the flu even if you received the shot. However, in most cases, the symptoms are usually milder compared to people who didn’t receive the shot.
• There is no medical evidence to support the theory that if you’ve never gotten the flu then you shouldn’t get the flu shot.

For more information, visit the CDC flu website.

Ochsner Health and Hancock County entered into a long-term lease agreement in April 2018 to operate Hancock Medical Center, expanding upon the strategic partnership the two organizations created in 2013. Now Ochsner Medical Center–Hancock, the hospital is expanding services and improving the quality and coordination of care, transforming the healthcare delivered to patients in the Gulf Coast region. For more information, please visit www.ochsner.org/hancock.

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About Ochsner Health System

Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across three specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs nearly 25,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.