October 27, 2008

News Release

Community Members Invited to Drive Up, Get a Flu Shot

Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinics Offered By Adventist HealthCare, County Health and Human Services

Rockville , MD – Receiving an annual flu shot is easier than ever for residents of Montgomery County and surrounding communities.

This year, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and Adventist HealthCare—through its two local hospitals, Shady Grove Adventist in Rockville and Washington Adventist in Takoma Park—will offer the first community drive-thru flu shot clinics in Montgomery County.  These convenient clinics allow participants to get a flu shot without leaving their cars.  Officials expect to provide up to 500 flu shots at each of the two drive-thru clinics at the end of this month.

“It is estimated that there are more than 25 million cases of the flu in the United States each year.  Annual flu shots provide the best defense against the flu for children and adults,” explains Judy Lichty, Regional Director of Health and Wellness for Adventist HealthCare.  “The drive-thru flu shot clinics, in partnership with Montgomery County, will provide the ultimate convenience for members of our community to receive flu shots to help them stay healthy.”

The drive-thru clinics will take place on Monday, October 27 at the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown (19731 Germantown Road) and on Wednesday, October 29 at the Orchard Shopping Center in the White Oak area of Silver Spring.  Both drive-thru clinics will run from 7:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Montgomery County will also use the two drive-thru flu shot clinics to test its disaster preparedness processes during a flu pandemic.

Each year, the flu results in more than 150,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths in the United States.  Flu shots, which are inactivated forms of the flu virus, provide the best defense against the flu.  While flu shots are recommended for everyone, they are strongly encouraged for those at highest risk for the flu including:

• People over 50;
• Women who are pregnant; health care workers;
• Anyone living in a long-term care facility;
• Day care providers; and
• Anyone with chronic heart, lung or kidney conditions, diabetes or a weakened immune system.

This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all children between six months and 18 years receive a flu shot, a change and major expansion of previous recommendations.

“Many people believe a common myth that flu shots give a person the flu,” said Dr. Gaurov Dayal, chief medical officer at Shady Grove Adventist Hosptial.  “The reality is that flu shots are important to protect both children and adults from an illness that can become quite serious in certain populations such as children and the elderly.”

The drive-thru clinics are part of the Take Your Shot for Health campaign, which launched earlier this month to increase awareness of and participation in flu shots within the local community.  To learn more about Take Your Shot for Health, visit www.takeyourflushot.com

Adventist HealthCare ,an integrated health care delivery organization based in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.  The mission of Adventist HealthCare is to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing. Adventist HealthCare includes Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Washington Adventist Hospital, Adventist Behavioral Health Services, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Senior Living Services, Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, Adventist Home Health Services, the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children, and LifeWork Strategies.

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, is a not-for-profit, acute care facility with 293 licensed beds that is located in Rockville, Maryland.  Shady Grove offers a broad range of health services and is recognized for excellence in emergency care; oncology; high-risk obstetrical and neonatal care; cardiac and vascular interventional care; as well as a broad range of surgical specialties.  Shady Grove also offers a broad range of specialized services for children, including the first Pediatric Emergency Department in Montgomery County and the only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the county.  The Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown opened in 2006 and is providing increased access to emergency medical care for upcounty residents.  Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is part of Rockville, Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery system that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.

Washington Adventist Hospital   is a 294-bed acute-care facility located in Takoma Park, Maryland. Washington Adventist Hospital is Montgomery County’s first cardiac center, performing more than 500 open-heart surgeries and more than 6,000 heart catheterizations each year. Washington Adventist Hospital is part of Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health-care delivery system based in Rockville, Maryland, that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.