It takes more than shopping for school supplies and new clothes to get kids ready for school. The Westchester County Health Department is reminding parents and guardians to schedule an appointment with their child’s healthcare provider now to ensure children will have the immunizations required by New York State to start school on time. Recent cases of whooping cough in school aged children here in Westchester and the NYC area, along with national and international outbreaks of measles serve as important reminders of the need to ensure that county residents are up-to-date with recommended vaccinations.
For children who have neither health insurance nor a primary care provider, the Westchester County Health Department will offer free immunizations by appointment during special back-to-school immunization clinics. During these clinics, facilitated enrollers will be on hand to help parents and guardians sign their children up for the health insurance they need. Families without a regular doctor also will receive information about where to go for ongoing pediatric primary care.
Appointments will be made on a first come, first served basis during special sessions from Tuesday, August 7 through Tuesday, September 25. If your child does not have health insurance and needs shots required for school, call the Westchester County Department of Health district offices to schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment at the Yonkers District Office, call (914) 231-2500. To schedule an appointment at the White Plains District Office, call (914) 995-5800.
For more information on immunizations and vaccine-preventable diseases, please contact the Westchester County Department of Health Immunization Action Program at 813-5000 or go to www.westchestergov.com/health. You can also follow us on Twitter @wchealthdept or like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/wchealthdept.