Farming, Saturday, October 7,1989
Immunization Clinics
VAL VANTASSEL often offered words of encourage-
Berks Co. Correspondent ment and bits of advice.
When our son Ethan was born. When he was three weeks old
the obstetrician announced that he the vomiting started. For the next
was the loudest baby he had ever four months Ethan alternated
delivered. Ethan quickly lived up between blood curdling screams
to his advanced billing. He could and losing his meals. Eventually
out holler the rock and roll band the doctors concluded that he was
that practiced next door. And allergic to a number of foods
while all the neighbors swore they including milk. Meanwhile we
could never hear the baby, they spent most of our spare time and
Dana Gehr, 19 months, comes over to check out the fun,
that Charles Zellner, 1, is having in the toy box at the State
Health Center.
mlMsel, 6 months, recovers quickly to play
with his big brother Zach, 3.
Boost Children’s Health And Parents Wallets
cash at the pediatricians.
We were just a week short of
Ethan’s two month check up when
another young mother on a strin
gent budget shared an amazing
discovery with us. “Did you know
you can get free immunizations
from the state health department?”
she asked.
Although Lyn and I also have a
three year old, we had never heard
of this service. A call to the state
health department confirmed the
information.
According to Patricia Sander
son, the supervising nurse at the
Berks and Schuylkill State Health
Centers, shots have been available
for at least 45 years but the types
of families coming in for the ser
vice are changing.
“At one time most people com
ing in for the immunizations were
of a lower economic status but
now you see folks from all walks
of life. Most people start coming
to us because the cost of immuni
zations is so high. One person told
me that it would cost $5O to have
the immunizations done at her
doctor’s and that she just couldn’t
afford it.”
Even people with good health
insurance are finding their way to
the state health center. “Many
insurance companies don’t pay for
well child care and immuniza
tions,” she explained.
In Berks County immunizations
are offered in three locations. “We
hold clinics in Reading, Kutztown
and Boyertown. We get a lot of
plain people at die, Kutztown site.
It gives them me opjiortuhity 'tb >{
receive their immunizations with
out having t 6 talke tfiefr ‘buggies'
into the city,”.Sanderson stated.
In Schuylkill County immuni
zations are also given at three sites
along with additional services.
Services vary from county to
county. Because Schuylkill Coun
ty does not have as many provid
ers of health services, the state
health center also offers child
health conferences along with the
immunizations. Children are
weighed, given a physical exam
and a nurse discusses the child’s
development with the parents.
These services are offered at
Pottsville, Shenandoah, and Tow
er City.
Parents aren’t limited to ser
vices within the county of their
residence. “Often we have parents
from Dauphin County bring their
children to the Tower City loca
tion,” Sanderson added.
According to a pamphlet put
out by the State Health Depart
ment there are 175 of these child
conference centers in the state of
Pennsylvania.
Armed with this information I
scheduled Ethan for his first shots
at'the Reading state health center.
Scheduling the first visit should be
done well in advance.
“We advise expectant mothers
in Berks and Schuylkill Counties
to call us as soon as they bring the
baby home from the hospital. In
Berks County we advise most
parents to get the first shots when
their baby is 2 months old from
their doctor, and to schedule for
their next set of shots. In Schuy
lkill County we have more clinics
and are normally able to schedule
the babies for their first shots.
Older children should be sche
duled as soon as possible to keep
them up to dale,” Sanderson said.
I followed me health center’s
advice and agreed to have Ethan
Peg Glaring, a nurse at the State Health Center in Berks
Co., gives Ethan Van Tassel his second DPT shot.
jans on
his Hlb vaccine. His aunt
because his mom was 111.
scheduled for his second shots, but
due to his illness his first shots
were delayed until it was time for
him to make a visit to the) center.
It is important to bring a record
of the older child’s shots to the
clinic. “We won’t give children a
shot without their shot record in
front of us. You can tell your
physician to get your record.
Many mothers bring their baby
books,” Sanderson said.
On shot day, I left the house
with a beach bag full of diapeters,
assorted toys, baby food and a
wmes^ead
t#c(es
> arm ,r reci ,ig
Debbie Berg brought Dylan
snack for Ethan’s big brother
Zach. I wasn’t sure what I would
find when we arrived at the center
city location. Sanderson had
warned that waiting at the Read
ing site was nonmally half an hour
to 45 minutes and that Schuylkill
County could be longer because of
the physical. She added, “I
wouldn’t schedule anything else
to close to the shot. Nothing worse
than worrying about making an
appointment.”
I was pleasantly surprised when
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