Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic Health System, Olmsted Medical Center, Olmsted County Public Health Services, Olmsted County schools, Mower County schools, Hayfield, Kasson/Mantorville, and Triton schools in Dodge County, and Pine Island schools in Olmsted and Goodhue Counties partner to offer the flu vaccine at the schools.
Sign up starts August 9 and will end on September 13 at 11 p.m. You cannot sign up your child after 11 p.m. on September 13.
Preventing disease and keeping our children healthy is important. One of the best ways to keep our children healthy is through vaccines. Seasonal flu is a serious disease that spreads quickly among children. Children have the highest attack rates during community outbreaks of the flu. They are usually the first to have the disease in the community. They spread the flu very quickly to their family members, friends, and neighbors. Protecting our children from flu protects all of us. Everyone 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine every year.
Getting the vaccine at school makes it easier for both children and parents. Children miss about 15 minutes of school. Parents don’t have to miss work. It also keeps our schools and community healthier during the flu season.
All students, kindergarten through grade 12 who are signed up and qualify can get the vaccine. Even those without insurance can get the vaccine. This program cannot provide parents, teachers, or preschool children the flu vaccine.
For Olmsted/Dodge/Goodhue County programs, nurses from Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center are giving the vaccine. For the Mower County program, nurses from Mayo Clinic are giving the vaccine. For Olmsted/Dodge/Goodhue County programs children are assigned a clinic (either Mayo or Olmsted Medical Center) if they do not have a primary care provider.
No, the children do quite well with their peers. If you feel your child needs you to be with them, it is recommended to arrange for your child to get the flu vaccine at the primary care flu clinic and not at school.
Please see available dates on the SEMIC website: https://www.semnic.org/schoolfluclinics.html
This year in the schools, flu vaccines will be offered as a shot or as a nasal spray (FluMist®) as available.
Parents can sign up their child online at https://www.semnic.org/schoolfluclinics.html. The child’s clinic will keep the completed form. The clinic will update the child’s health record after the vaccine is given. Parents also can get a paper form at their child's school, if needed.
The primary care clinic that you select on your sign-up form (Mayo Clinic or Olmsted Medical Center) will administer the vaccine and will bill for your child’s vaccine. If you select the incorrect clinic, you may receive a bill, due to out-of-network charges. Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center are not responsible for these charges.
The Affordable Care Act requires insurance plans to cover all costs of the vaccine. You may get a bill, but you should have nothing to pay out of pocket. Minnesota Vaccines for Children program covers the cost of the flu vaccine as well, at low or no cost to those that qualify. If you do not have insurance, there will be no charge for the vaccine, but you may get a bill for $21.22 for the administration fee. If you cannot pay, please call the account services number listed below. No child will be turned away. All parents will get a statement that shows the bill and insurance coverage. This will be the same as the statement from your regular clinic vaccine visit. If you have a patient online account with your primary care provider, please make sure it is updated with your contact information and insurance information.
Mayo Clinic Patient Account Services: 507-266-5670 or 1-800-660-4582
Olmsted Medical Center Patient Account Services: 507-288-3443
Mayo Clinic Health System Patient Account Services: 1-844-217-9591 (toll-free)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has detailed information about flu and the vaccine. The information is here: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/index.html
Parents will be told right away if this happens at school. Refer to the vaccine-specific Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for more information about possible reactions to the vaccine. Here is the link to the VIS for the injected flu vaccine and the link to the VIS for the nasal flue vaccine. Contact your child’s health provider if your child has a moderate to severe reaction. Seek medical care as recommended.
Few allergies and chronic diseases prevent children from getting the flu vaccine. For more information about allergic reactions and chronic diseases, read the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/current-vis.html.
For other health questions, parents should call their child’s health provider or nurse line.
There are a few reasons why this may have happened: