Orange County Public Schools, a local nonprofit and the health department have teamed up to offer school immunizations in Apopka today as vaccination rates have hit a ten-year low. Services will be provided in both English and Spanish.
Children in the Apopka area can get required immunizationsat the Hope Community Center and then enroll in Orange County Public Schools at the event today.
Both services will be provided in English and in Spanish by representatives of the district, Hope Community Center and the Florida Department of Health.
The department of health’s director of nursing Gissella Suarez said it’s crucial that parents can fully opt into these shots and ask any questions they might have in their native language.
“To avoid language barriers, and to prevent parents who don’t feel empowered when they are in these moments, to make a decision to provide vaccinations to their children, we provide bilingual staff who are able to translate in their own language.”
She said parents usually ask about the safety and efficacy of these shots, along with common side effects.
“They will have questions most likely of what happens after, what will be the reaction? What is a normal reaction after a vaccine? How soon do I have to come back and what are the vaccines that my children are going to need at this moment?”
Shots required for kindergarten and seventh grade enrollment will be available on site including the TDAP vaccine for seventh graders.
Vaccines are available between 2 and 6 pm. School enrollment will take place between 5 and 7 pm.
The HPV shot will not beoffered at the event, but parents can sign up to get their kids vaccinated at the department of health.
