College to Offer Free Flu Shots at Drive-Through Event

300 shots will be available to public at Lone Star College-Montgomery on Oct. 11

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Free flu shots will be available to adults who push up their sleeves and roll down their car windows on Saturday, October 11, at a drive-through flu shot clinic at Lone Star College-Montgomery. The event begins at 9 a.m. and will last until 11 a.m. or until the vaccine supply runs out. Anyone interested should arrive early as only 300 shots will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, officials said.

LSC-Montgomery will team up with The University of Texas Medical Branch’s Montgomery County Health Department to provide the free shots.

“This is a great opportunity for people to protect themselves from this potentially life-threatening illness,” said Linda Corbin, director of facilities and head of the college’s health and safety committee.

Washing hands frequently and covering mouths and noses while coughing and sneezing, and getting an annual flu shot are the best strategies for preventing infection, according to health officials.

The Montgomery County Health Department in Conroe serves as the lead public health agency for Montgomery County. The department’s public health preparedness division plans and coordinates the response to adverse events like disease outbreaks and bioterrorism attacks.

“Events like the drive-through flu shot clinic are great opportunities to see how well we’re prepared to respond to health emergency in our county,” said Emily Llinás, assistant director at the health department.

In addition to helping the public, the drive-through event will serve as an exercise for health department staff and volunteers. Volunteers are a major component of public health preparedness plans, Llinás said.

“My staff has five people,” she said, “so if we have to give medication to the entire county population in a limited amount of time, we rely on volunteers to get the job done.”

For more information regarding the free drive-through flu shot event, please contact Linda Corbin at (936) 273-7312. Details are available on the UTMB Montgomery County Health Department Web site at the link below.

LSC-Montgomery is located between Conroe and The Woodlands, at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45. For more information about the college, call (936) 273-7000, or visit the College's Web site.

Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including CyFair, Kingwood, Montgomery, North Harris, and Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. With 49,250 students, it is the largest college system in the Houston area, and third largest community college district in Texas. For more information, visit the College System's Web site.