There are many reasons to get an influenza (flu) vaccine each year. The need for getting a flu vaccination was even more significant during the 2020-2021 flu season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Providing community members with flu vaccines helped reduce the burden of flu illnesses on hospitals that were already working over capacity to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients. Receiving a flu vaccination also meant reducing flu risk for vulnerable populations, especially those already managing chronic health conditions.
In 2020, Aurora Medical Center-Summit partnered with Lake Area Free Clinic and the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers-Waukesha Clinic to donate 250 flu vaccines for community members. This donation was made as part of Advocate Aurora Health’s system-level health equity mission and targeted communities in Waukesha County most heavily impacted by COVID-19, including uninsured individuals and Hispanic community members.
In addition to partnering on community flu vaccinations, we also worked with the Lake Area Free Clinic and Waukesha Free Clinic to ensure their staff and volunteers had access to the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the 1a health care designation workgroup. This allowed those clinics to provide added protection for their staff and volunteers while they continued caring for their patients during the pandemic.