The Blaine school district, in tandem with Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS), will provide free immunizations and sports physicals for students on campus from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, August 17.
All students in Washington state are required to be up to date on their immunizations, which include chickenpox, diphtheria, polio and others, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association also requires student athletes pass a sports physical to participate in any school-sanctioned athletics.
Students are encouraged to bring their medical insurance cards if they are insured, but the immunizations and physicals will be given out for free regardless of insurance status, said Blaine school district registered nurse Jodi Greene.
“We want it accessible,” Greene said. “We want it on a day where families can come and not everyone is working. So we want to break down all barriers so students can have access to school and activities.”
WCHCS will administer the immunizations, and both immunizations and physicals will be provided on a first come, first serve basis, Greene said.
Greene said that families in the past have had trouble accessing these needed services due to lack of health insurance, scheduling conflicts with medical providers and transportation issues.
Holding the clinic on a weekend for free allows more families and students to access the crucial medical care they need to attend school and thrive, Greene said.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for kids to participate in sports and do what they want to do, connect and be on a team without having the barrier of not having access to a sports physical,” Greene said.
Greene said the Blaine school district nurse’s office is open for any communications or questions from families regarding immunizations or physicals, and encourages students to get annual appointments with their primary care providers.
For more information on the one-day clinic, families of primary to 5th grade students should contact registered nurse Christine Ferrell at cferrell@blainesd.org, and families of students grades 6-12 should contact Greene at jgreene@blainesd.org.
For information on immunizations, visit bit.ly/4dnktIv.
