Monday the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services release a list of upcoming H1N1 virus vaccination clinics. Today Sacramento supervisors declare an H1N1 emergency for the entire county. So you may ask, as I do, where and when can you get a vaccination? As it happens, the clinic nearest to the Pocket and Greenhaven neighborhoods is at the Public Safety Center on Freeport on January 14 or at the Pannell Community Center on November 20. (Click here for the website with the entire list.)

Pocket Online called the Sacramento Department of Health and Human Services to ask those who scheduled the clinics why they chose to not have one in our area. Kerry Shearer says County Health Officer Glennah Trochet, MD tried to spread the clinics to as many places as possible. “We’re doing as many clinics as we can in places that make sense but we do have to triage the requests for clinics with the staff we have,” explains Shearer. “We decided we have sites close to the Pocket area we believe will be accessible.” (Referring to the two sites mentioned above.)

The office of Councilman Robbie Waters agrees. Waters’ District Director Pat Clark says the councilman believes the Pannell Center is “close enough” and his office did not ask the county Department of Health and Human Services to hold a clinic in the Pocket area. Supervisor Jimmie Yee would not even comment on the crisis or the lack of clinics in the Pocket or Greenhaven neighborhoods.

Shearer, who says the department is trying to balance the need with limited staff, adds that these clinics are just supposed to fill in the gaps of this emergency. “Really people need to go to their healthcare provider. That’s the preferred way for people to get immunized.”

Take a moment to voice your opinion in our opinion poll or leave a comment at the bottom of this story. You can also call Supervisor Yee at 916.874.5481 and Councilman Waters at 916.808.7007.