Nearly 40 patients vaccinated in first drive-through flu clinic at Strada

By Casandra Andrews
candrews@health.southalabama.edu

The convenience of receiving a flu vaccine without leaving your car was provided to 38 current pediatric and adult patients during a drive-through influenza clinic on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at the USA Health Strada Patient Care Center in Midtown Mobile.

Patients between the age of 20 months and 80 years received the influenza vaccine through a collaboration between USA Health staff from the Covid-19 Testing Center, the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics.

Ladonna M. Crews, M.D., a USA Health pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, was onsite for the clinic to see her patients as they received the flu vaccine.

“We’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” Crews said. “It’s great to see so many patients and their caregivers come out to take part.”

Younger patients with a diagnosed health condition such as asthma were targeted for this clinic, planners said. As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, thousands of children nationwide have not remained up-to-date on needed vaccines to prevent childhood and other infectious diseases.

“We are so pleased with the outcome of our first clinic at Strada,” said Sarah Kahalley, MSHA, BSN, RN, director of clinical resources for USA Health physicians. “This is truly the beginning of a new healthcare model we can successfully deliver to our patients.”

Since April, 2020, more than 16,000 patients have been tested for COVID-19 at two drive-through testing sites operated by USA Health in partnership with the City of Mobile. The current site is inside the Mobile Civic Center arena in downtown Mobile.

In coming months, plans call for the COVID-19 testing staff to partner with other USA Health departments to provide other services using the drive-through model.