Long Beach Health Department is providing free flu vaccinations at the city's Mobile Access Center (MAC) locations and Multi-Service Center (MSC). The initiative aims to mitigate the risks of severe flu complications among the homeless, with the demand for such services increasing during the flu season, according to a report by the City of Long Beach.
Vulnerabilities associated with chronic homelessness include missed preventive vaccinations and limited access to routine healthcare services.
The Health Department has planned to distribute flu vaccinations free of charge at the city's MAC locations on certain dates, availability pending. Information about vaccination clinic dates and venues can be found on the City of Long Beach website. Additionally, vaccines will be available at the MSC on October 25th, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., while supplies last.
As the flu season is soon to arrive, Long Beach's initiative to vaccinate the homeless is critically timed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts that between 3% and 11% of the U.S. population contract the flu between October and May annually. A CDC report from 2017 showed that the intensive to care admissions of homeless individuals with the flu was 2.3 times higher than those with stable housing, underscoring the homeless population's increased susceptibility to the illness.
The discussion regarding the direct delivery of healthcare to the homeless continues, considering the obstructions such as transport barriers and lack of permanent addresses which could otherwise hinder medical treatment or scheduling appointments.
