Skip Navigation
  • Health Plans
  • Health & Wellness
  • Online Care
  • Customer Service
  • My Account

News Release

September 3, 2010
HMSA sponsors annual flu shot clinics statewide

Chuck Marshall
(808) 948-6826

The Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) will launch its annual community flu shot clinics this month for members of the following plans: HMSA, HMSA 65C Plus, HMSA QUEST, BCBS, BCBS-FEP, and Medicare Part B beneficiaries. To help residents prepare for the upcoming flu season, ISI Health Enhancement Services, an HMSA subsidiary, will begin conducting clinics this month.

At the upcoming Seniors’ Fair (Sept. 24 to 26 at the Neal Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall), both flu shots and pneumococcal shots will be provided in the Pikake Room from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. At all other community clinics, only flu shots will be provided. Clinics will be offered through early November on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and the Big Island.

HMSA, HMSA 65C Plus, HMSA QUEST, BCBS, and BCBS-FEP members 18 years or older may receive flu shots at no cost, while supplies last. Members must show their HMSA card and a photo ID. There will be no charge for Medicare Part B beneficiaries who show their Medicare card and a photo ID. Nonmembers may receive an immunization for $40.

The flu is a respiratory illness caused by a virus, and the best prevention is to get a flu shot each fall. People recommended for vaccination based on their risk of complications from influenza, or because they are in close contact with someone at higher risk of influenza complications, include:

  • Children age 6 months through age 4.
  • Pregnant women.
  • People 50 years of age and older.
  • People of any age with certain chronic health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease).
  • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
  • Household contacts of people at high risk for complications from influenza.
  • Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months old.
  • Health care workers.

People who should not be vaccinated include:

  • People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
  • People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
  • People who have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome within six weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
  • Children less than 6 months old (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group).
  • People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated).

Changes to the schedule may occur. Click here for an up-to-date listing of HMSA flu shot clinics or call 211. If the vaccine supply runs out, any remaining clinics will be canceled. Members may also see their physician or pharmacist if they wish to get a flu shot.

ISI Health Enhancement Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of HMSA. ISI provides innovative, cost-effective products and services to HMSA employer groups, health care providers, and members.

HMSA is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

####

Links

    Related Links