Occupational Health and Wellness Management Provides Free Flu Vaccines to Community Members in Need.

Keene, NH (January 16, 2012) – Occupational Health and Wellness Management (OHWM) provided free flu vaccines at the Keene Community Kitchen and the Keene 100 Nights Shelter and drop-in center.

On Wednesday January 4, 2012, OHWM nurse manager Diane Bogdan, RN worked at the 100 Nights Drop-in Shelter from 9:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and then returned in the evening to work at the shelter from 7:30 pm-9:30 pm. The 100 Nights Shelter is a cold weather shelter that last year provided lodging to 104 individuals. According to Bogdan, when she arrived at the shelter, she found “an organization totally staffed with volunteers and filling a much needed niche in the Keene community.” During this time a total of 14 vaccines were given to volunteers and program participants.

The following week, on January 11, 2012, Bogdan visited with clients at the Keene Community Kitchen (KCK) from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. During that time, she delivered 16 vaccines to area residents. The KCK serves over 900,000 meals a year to over 11,000 community members including families with small children, young adults, middle-aged adults, and elderly couples.

As a result of the growing focus on preventative medicine insured individuals can typically receive the flu vaccine free of charge. Those who are uninsured may have to pay between $25.00 and $50.00 to be vaccinated and must find transportation to a local clinic. When discussing the vaccine with the nurse, many individuals at the KCK said that the flu vaccine was simply something they “hadn’t been able to afford.”

Recent statistics report that those Americans most affected by poverty experience illness 3-6 times more than the rest of the United States population. Serious illnesses and deaths are often the result of minor illness and injuries that become chronic and go untreated. As a volunteer at the 100 Nights Shelter said to Bogdan, “It’s important for this group to get vaccinated, they have very little or no access to health care when they are ill.”

In addition to providing free flu vaccines to the 100 Nights Shelter and the Keene Community Kitchen, OHWM also provided free flu vaccines to volunteers from the Monadnock Humane Society (MHS) and discounted vaccine for MHS employees and Keene Kiwanis Club members.

Occupational Health and Wellness Management is a local Monadnock region company committed to improving the health of the region through employee-based wellness programs. For more information visit www.occupationalhealthwellness.com or contact Cassandra Ricard at 603-352-5595.
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Occupational Health and Wellness Management provides nurses and other trained medical staff to provide services that keep employees healthy and productive with customized wellness program that are designed to serve the needs of employees and their families while helping companies to cut cost, increase productivity, and continue to attract and maintain quality workforces. For more information about OHWM visit us online at www.occupationalhealthwellness.com, call our office, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/keeneohwm, or check out our updates at http://twitter.com/OHWMKEENE