Sunday's LA County H1N1 Vaccine Clinics

Los Angeles County - Los Angeles County public health workers are giving free swine flu vaccines to high-risk individuals at seven locations on Sunday, November 15th.

All the clinics start at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Here's a list of locations:

• Athens Park, 12603 S. Broadway;
• Baldwin Hills Recreation Center, 5401 Highlight Place;
• Bradley-Milken Youth Center, 1773 E. Century Blvd.;
• Sunland Recreation Center, 8651 Foothill Blvd.;
• Westchester Recreation Center, 7000 W. Manchester Blvd.;
• Panorama City Recreation Center, 8600 Hazeltine Ave.;
• and Almansor Park in Alhambra at 800 S. Alhamsor St. Children, pregnant women and adults with serious underlying medical problems are the highest priorities for public health officials.

Those planning to go to clinics were urged to review the vaccination form, found in several languages on the county Public Health Web site . Those in a priority group should bring in a completed form.

On Monday, a big crowd is expected at the velodrome at Home Depot Center in Carson, 18400 Blvd., in Carson, where a clinic will run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Another is scheduled at the indoor cycling track for Dec. 14.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, concerned that blacks were lagging behind in getting vaccinated, urged African-Americans to participate in the voluntary, free immunizations.

County officials say that among the 113,000 county residents who have been inoculated so far, a higher number of Asians have been vaccinated than blacks, even though they represent a far smaller percentage of the population, the Daily Breeze reported.

Public health officials recommend washing hands frequently -- the viral outbreak has spurred sales of hand sanitizers -- covering mouths and noses when coughing, and staying home if infected.

The priority groups are:

• pregnant women;
• young people 6 months to 24 years old;
• people living with or caring for infants under 6 months of age;
• health care workers, teachers and emergency service personnel; and
• individuals ages 25-64 with health conditions that put them at higher risk for flu-related complications.

A list of future locations and hours is available on the county health department's Web site at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov , or by calling the county's 211 information line.