Calls on H1N1 Flu Are Now Directed To 2-1-1 Call Center
For three hours of her day, Benita Robinson is on flu duty.
As an office assistant with the Department of Public Health, Robinson is among the clerical workers who are on the front line in Riverside County’s response to the H1N1 flu. Their job has been answering the more than 800 calls from residents that flooded the health department’s phones in the past month.
Calls are expected to increase as Riverside County starts receiving more shipments of the H1N1 flu shot, said Barbara Cole, the county’s director of disease control. Residents are encouraged to call 2-1-1, a non-profit information and referral service that has capacity to handle the influx.
“The phones have been ringing non-stop since the start of the flu season.” Cole said. “The 2-1-1 service will help ensure that residents get their questions answered.”
Volunteers with 2-1-1 are trained to answer frequently-asked questions and have updated information on vaccine availability. The 2-1-1 call center is not able to provide medical advice. People with specific medical concerns should contact their medical providers or call the county’s Department of Public Health at (888) 246-1215.
County officials announced today that they expect delays in additional shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine. Residents should check first with their medical providers to receive the H1N1 vaccine. The shot is available at county clinics in Riverside, Perris, Palm Springs, Corona, Lake Elsinore and Jurupa. Supplies are limited and priority will go to those who should receive the H1N1 flu shot first, such as pregnant women, people who work or live with children and people age 25 to 64 with serious health conditions.
People can check the county’s public health Web site at www.rivcoph.org for availability and the closest location. The 2-1-1 call center also will have information about the H1N1 flu clinics.
Residents are encouraged to get the seasonal influenza shot in addition to the H1N1 vaccination. For information about the seasonal flu shot, visit http://www.rivcoph.org/. For updates on H1N1 flu clinics and other H1N1-related information, visit http://www.rivcoph.org/h1n1.