UHealth to give free pediatric vaccinations and flu shots to children at Miami park

Need to get your child the required pediatric vaccines that schools require? What about a flu shot?

UHealth’s pediatric mobile unit will offer free vaccines and flu shots for children ages 12 months to 18 years to help keep uninsured or underprivileged children up to date in their vaccines.

WHICH VACCINES ARE BEING OFFERED?

The vaccines, it should be noted, are not for COVID-19. But the pandemic is in mind to protect children from the flu to avoid the convergence of two viruses, according to project manager Maria Ferraris.

The routine and required-in-Florida-schools vaccines include diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, inactivated polio vaccine, measles-mumpsrubella, varicella aka chickenpox, haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal conjugate and hepatitis B.

If your child is a Florida resident, medics at the site can pull up their health records online to see if they have already received any or all of the required vaccines, Ferraris said. If you are from out of state and believe your child to be immunized, bring a copy of the record, she suggested.

Flu shots are voluntary but recommended by public-health experts.

WHEN AND WHERE CAN I GET VACCINES?

The vaccines will be available 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Gibson Park, 401 NW 12th St., Miami.

According to the University of Miami, the UHealth pediatric mobile unit provides free medical care to about 3,000 uninsured children each year in Miami-Dade County’s most at-risk neighborhoods. Of those children, 97% are uninsured and 13% have special needs.