Free flu vaccination event helps Pomona prepare for an emergency

For the public, this is a chance to get a free flu shot. But for organizers, this is an opportunity to test their ability to provide medication to large numbers of people in case of a medical emergency such as a flu outbreak in a large region arises.

For several years, Los Angeles County public health officials have been working to prepare cities to handle such tasks, said Debra Porada, a public health nurse with the county's Pomona Health Center.

"One of our goals is to have city staff (ready), so they're prepared to function on their own," Porada said.

The county is carrying out 10 such events in different cities this year, said Catherine Knox, assistant program specialist with the Community Health Services Department of the county's Department of Public Health.

"In a real event, if we have to prophilax or medicate 10 million people, we don't have the capacity to do it on our own," Knox said.

In 2006, the county worked with Santa Clarita to carry out a flu-vaccination event.

This year, that city has reached a level where it is prepared to handle the event on its own.

The county will provide the vaccine and three public health nurses, Knox said.

The county plans on working with cities annually, "With the goal that soon Santa Clarita's situation will become the norm," she said.

To run effectively a point-of-dispensing, or POD, takes about 70 people, Porada said.

On Saturday, about 60 percent of the volunteers will be people associated with the department of Public Health and the remainder will come from various Pomona-based organizations including the city, Pomona Unified School District, Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, Western University of Health Sciences and the Pomona Chamber of Commerce.

Porada said enough vaccine will be available Saturday to vaccinate 2,000 people.

Flu vaccine for children six months of age to senior citizens will be available, Porada said.