A Day At The Races

After passing crowds of people patiently lined-up in front of the building and noting the "Racetrack" sign which told me I was in the right place, I parked and then reported for assignment at 7:30 AM. We were told (and the deputy sheriffs and security people with whom I shared the lunch table verified) that the lines to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine had begin to form at 1 AM on a cold fall night.  Even the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall was cold and I wondered how well my stiff fingers would accomplish the job ahead and how I would stay warm in my cotton and Dacron tan public health uniform. My worries proved unnecessary.

It was clear that the Santa Clara County Public Health Staff had paid lots of attention to vital organizational details and logistics. Vaccinators (like me) wore distinctive orange jackets and logistics people, security, administrators, greeters, guides and translators each had distinctive garb. The enormous hall had serpentine Disney World-like crowd handling lanes. Tables and chairs lined each side of the hall and at each table were three vaccinators, supplies of syringes and vaccine and alcohol swabs and adhesive bandages and cotton balls and every other item which we would need to do our jobs throughout the day.  After a quick breakfast and a few organizational instruction meetings (i.e. - "don't get dehydrated," "drink water," be sure to take your 10 minute breaks," and be sure to stop for lunch") we set out for our tables.

The introductions at our table were brief. I worked with two paramedics who throughout the day did not waste words, motion, vaccine or supplies. At 9:30 AM when our first patients appeared, one of the paramedics had pre-filled syringes with vaccine and we were ready to go. We worked steadily throughout the day.

Each time we had an empty chair, we signaled a volunteer who directed individuals, and families, to us. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, young and older children of all character and description presented for H1N1 vaccine. They seemed well-informed (thanks to the people who were assigned to work the lines to provide information to the potential vaccine recipients) and almost always came with the paperwork which assured us that their vaccination experience would not involve unnecessary risks. The noise level was high because of screaming children, but because of the educational effort directed to the potential vaccine recipients, they were well-informed and relatively relaxed, which was reflected in most of their kids' simply accepting the injection or the nasal flu vaccine.

The hours passed quickly, Our stocks of vaccine dwindled. And the last vaccine recipients were cared-for. Unlike the iffy world of horse-racing, there no question about the benefit received by thousands of people whom we vaccinated, some of whom might otherwise be sickened or die from H1N1 influenza.

Public health prevention is better than trying to treat the complications of a preventable disease.