Anybody brave the H1N1 clinic lines yet??

[chinook]

I'm telling you here in Alberta there should be heads rolling over this debacle! I had a friend wait 6 hours on Monday,and you know how many nurses there were giving shots at that clinic? EIGHT! Eight nurses. How ridiculous is that. Yesterday we waited 4 hours and there were six nurses at that particular clinic. They say it's because of the "nursing shortage" but that's baloney. They were either too cheap or stupid to hire enough (I know lots of gals for whom an immunization job would be ideal but there was dick all for postings) and now they act like it wasn't their doing.

The bottom line is they obviously JUST DON'T CARE how long any of us stand in line, and if you ask me it will only get worse. The lines here were apparently longer today than yesterday and I'll bet it's because the cover of the paper had a picture of that boy who died in Ontario. Stories will get out about people seriously ill or dying and demand will continue for the vaccine. Really, they had MONTHS to plan for this, and this is the best they could do?

Gah. I am SO sick of mismanagement in healthcare. Sick. Of. It.







Whew.....I feel better now...guess I needed to get that off my chest

[chinook]

Also, Melissa, I'd triple check with the GP's office that they know you want the H1N1 because I know here in Alberta they are only available at the clinics (GPs and pharmacies don't have it yet and won't for a couple of weeks.)

I'm only saying that because a good friend of mine booked in with ther GP for her shot only to find out they thought she meant the seasonal flu shot, which they had, not the H1N1, which they didn't.

B.C. may well be better organized than Alberta, though.

[bubbaray]

Also, Melissa, I'd triple check with the GP's office that they know you want the H1N1 because I know here in Alberta they are only available at the clinics (GPs and pharmacies don't have it yet and won't for a couple of weeks.)

I have -- definitely ONLY adjuvanted H1N1 and only for confirmed high risk patients, which is why they want to do it at the docs offices (so they can check medical records for the high risk diagnosis). Then again, if I show up at a clinic with an asthma inhaler in my name, shouldn't that be enough?

[bubbaray]

Really, they had MONTHS to plan for this, and this is the best they could do?

THAT. Exactly that. Seriously. The rollout is a complete joke.

[MontrealMum]

They say it's because of the "nursing shortage" but that's baloney. They were either too cheap or stupid to hire enough (I know lots of gals for whom an immunization job would be ideal but there was dick all for postings) and now they act like it wasn't their doing.

That's just crazy. I have several friends who are retired nurses here in Quebec and they pick up extra cash for the holidays by giving flu shots every year in the fall at our regional clinics and pharmacies. I can't imagine there are that few retirees and part-timers who wouldn't jump at the chance for extra $$.

This is such a clusterf*&^!

[EllasMum]

My BFF just emailed and said they went down to one of the clinics. BFF went in to get in line while her DH parked. He had to get creative and make his own parking spot as there was NOWHERE to park. So she gets in line, and when her DH came in with their boys, the rent-a-cops at the door wouldn't let them through! He basically plowed through and joined her. The clinic was setup in such a way that all you could see was a small lineup into a closed area. They thought they'd got lucky and got in the line. After waiting for an HOUR, they got inside the closed area only to discover that the lineup snaked through the closed area 5 TIMES. They waited about another half hour, on their feet, before they left in frustration with their older DS in tears from having to stand so long. Gong. Show.

[mikeys_mom]

A few of my friends went yesterday and had 3-4 hour waits. They are expecting the clinics around here to get much busier today because of the media coverage of the 13 year old boy that died. Also, they are reporting several confirmed cases at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the large downtown hospitals here.

It is so ridiculous that they have known about this for months and the best system they can devise is to set up 10 clinics for a city of 3 million people. If they are trying to prevent further spread why do they have people line up together for hours on end?

BIL is a urologist and told me that only family docs have access to the vaccine. He said he'd be happy to bring some home and vaccinate friends and family as would some of his co-workers but they can't because they won't distribute it to him.

DH's cousin is a family doctor and she is going to bring home vaccines for us Monday evening so that we don't have to stand in line at the clinics forever. I am so grateful to her for agreeing to do that.

[MontrealMum]

Just back from our family doc. Asked about the H1N1 as there is NO info about when, where etc. here yet, and was told that I should "listen to the CBC"...not because she was being flip, but because that's what docs themselves are being told here when they call the govt and ask. No H1N1 OR regular flu vax will be given by family docs (normal protocol, but you have to pay) OR our CLSCs (also normal flu route, but free). There will be 17 clinics set up throughout the city -but noone knows where, or when. Everyone is expected to go to those. Hopefully they are watching the disaster you guys are describing in other provinces and will be more organized about it. But why has it started out West and in ON, and not here???

My doc had hers yesterday only because she also works at a CLSC and they're allowed to order doses for their workers.

Ugh! I'm obviously going to have to pull DS out of daycare to do this, and take time off from doing my own work...it'd be nice to be able to plan that a bit. And I do not relish the four hour wait that you guys are describing with a two year old who still naps.

[bubbaray]

Well, I had to cancel our appt's for the vax today. I'm still sick and (1) didn't feel like driving 1+ hr in rush hour in the rain one way and (2) our nurse line said I shouldn't get it if I'm still sick (I'm still on 2 antibiotics). When I cancelled, the receptionist said they only got 60 doses and it would be all gone today.

I thought about that some more and called back and re-booked us for next Wednesday. Hopefully they will get another shipment of vax. The receptionist also thought they might have some of the unadjuvanted vax then for DD#2, though she doesn't know and also said they are getting all their info from the media too.

I just do NOT understand WTF gov't has been doing all these months. This is a complete joke. Dr's offices are not equipped to hold "clinics" or deal with mass vaccination programs.

I feel that the various levels of gov't have completely dropped the ball on this.

[chinook]

There's a letter to the editor in The Herald today from a woman who has a 27 year old previously healthy niece fighting for her life at the Foothills Hospital in ICU - she is on a ventilator AND a bypass machine. It doesn't get any sicker than that. Very very tragic.

The fifth clinic that they opened up here in Calgary was supposed to be for people in high risk groups or with little kids and it was a TOTAL cock up. Someone in the paper said there were SEVEN hour waits at that one. Then the health minister insinuates that it's people in non-high risk groups who are overloading the system by lining up for shots immediately. Well, when the average age of someone in ICU with this is in their mid-40s please tell me who ISN'T in a high risk group, really? And when you add in household contacts of those in the more typical high risk groups I'd love them to tell me who exactly should be sitting at home and waiting for them to get their act together.

This whole thing is terrible. The flu started peaking LAST week as had been predicted for ages, and they did their half-a$$ed vaccine roll out THIS week. Poor. Very poor.