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Time To Get Your Flu Shot

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This just might be the year. Yep, it just might be. The year that I get a flu shot.

Since my wife started getting an annual flu vaccine several years ago, she has hardly gotten sick at all. When I came down with some nasty virus that laid me low for the better part of a week last December (possibly H1N1), she just kept going. She also kept reminding me that she got a flu shot and I didn’t. No sympathy at all.

The public health experts say everyone older than 6 months should receive the flu vaccine. They also urge older folks, smokers and people with certain health conditions to get a pneumonia shot. Plus, they suggest people between 10 and 64 years old who have not had pertussis (that’s whooping cough) as well as older folks who are around lots of kids should get a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) inoculation. As you’ve probably heard, there’s a whooping cough epidemic among young children in California.

Just thinking about all the needles makes my arm sore, but at least the flu vaccine also comes in a nasal spray.

Anyway, you may take care of all three vaccinations at once during Shasta County public health clinics. The next one is a drive-through clinic scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27, at the Redding Convention Center. Seriously, all you have to do is roll down the window and stick out your arm.

Other clinics are set for:

– 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 28 at the Intermountain Fairgrounds in Fall River

– 10 a.m. to noon on November 3 at the Shasta Senior Nutrition Program on Mercy Oaks Drive in Redding

– 4 to 7 p.m. on November 18 at Mt. Shasta Mall in Redding

– 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on November 30 at the Shasta Lake fire hall

No appointments are necessary for the clinics. Each vaccination costs $10. The health department accepts cash, check, Medi-Cal and Medicare Part B. Sorry, no private insurance payments.

You may also get vaccinated at county health offices in Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake and Burney by appointment. Call 225-5591 for details.

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• Shasta Family YMCA kicks off a leadership development program for high school students called Accelerate on November 4. The program will meet at 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays for the rest of the school year. For details, check with the YMCA at (530) 246-9622. This program is for kids, so naturally there’s a video on YouTube.

• The Cascade Theatre has announced that Bill Cosby is scheduled to perform two shows on February 11, 2011. Cascade members get first crack at tickets starting at 9 a.m. next Wednesday, October 27, at the theater’s box office. Tickets for the general public go on sale at 9 a.m. October 29. Sounds like a good reason to become a member.

• The uncomfortable topic of teenage pregnancy is the subject of a lunchtime forum next Tuesday, October 26, presented by The Women’s Fund of Shasta Regional Community Foundation. Scheduled to speak at the event are Romi Uribe, Shasta County material, child and adolescent health director, epidemiologist Robin Shurig, and Tracy Conry, a teacher for pregnant and parenting high school students. The gathering is set for noon in the Redding Library’s community room. You need to register in advance here.

shigley-mugshotPaul Shigley is senior editor of California Planning & Development Report, a frequent contributor to Planning magazine and isn’t scared of needles, no sirree. Paul Shigley may be reached at pauls.anewscafe@gmail.com.

A News Cafe, founded in Shasta County by Redding, CA journalist Doni Greenberg, is the place for people craving local Northern California news, commentary, food, arts and entertainment.

Paul Shigley

has been a professional journalist since 1987. For 12 years, he served as editor or senior editor of California Planning & Development Report, a statewide trade publication for land use planners, real estate development professionals and attorneys. Prior to that, he worked as a reporter or editor at newspapers in Redding, Grass Valley, Napa and Calistoga. Shigley's work also has appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Planning magazine, Governing magazine, California Law Week, National Speed Sport News and elsewhere. In addition, he is co-author of Guide to California Planning, a college text and reference book, and is currently working on a book for the American Planning Association about the Bay Delta and California water resources. A graduate of California State University, Sacramento, Shigley has contributed to A News Cafe since 2009. He and his wife, Dana, live in western Shasta County.

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