Public Health Madison & Dane County: Free drive through flu clinic ending on Dec. 19

The last day of the free drive through flu clinic at the Alliant Energy Center will be Saturday, December 19. The clinic, run by Public Health Madison & Dane County, provides free flu shots to anyone who lives in Dane County, regardless of insurance status.

“These next 2 weeks are the last opportunity for anyone who lives in Dane County to be able to get their flu shot from the convenience of their car,” says Tess Ellens, Public Health Nurse with Public Health Madison & Dane County. “We have lots of flu shots available and no appointment is needed.”

Since opening in early October, over 1,500 people have received a flu shot at the drive through clinic.

“We’ve had a very successful run the past 2 months, helping protect members of our community from the flu. With the ongoing pandemic potentially colliding with the flu season, we set this clinic up to protect as many people as possible so that our community and our healthcare system did not face a twindemic of illness,” says Ellens. “We hope to see a lot of people coming for their shots these next 2 weeks. The shot can take 2 weeks to reach full effectiveness, and we are fully into what is traditionally considered the flu season.”

Details about the drive through flu clinic:

·       1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, WI 53713.

·       Use Olin Avenue entrance and follow signs for flu clinic.

  • Free flu shots are available for all Dane County adults and children 6 months and older, regardless of insurance status. 
  • Open:

o   Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00pm to 8:00pm

o   Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm

·       Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

  • No ID is needed.
  • Immigration status is not asked.
  • Interpreters are available.

·       Free transportation is available by calling the Public Health Transportation Line at (608) 243-0420.

·       Anyone younger than 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian authorized to give consent for the flu shot on their behalf. 

·       Plan to wait 15 minutes after receiving a flu shot to monitor for any possible side effects. 

·       People, who are experiencing symptoms, were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days, need a COVID test, or are waiting for results from a COVID-19 test will not be able to get a flu shot.

  • If possible, wear clothing that will make the upper arm available for the vaccine. For children under the age of five, their upper thigh needs to be accessible.
  • Staff will work with families to provide shots in a way that is comfortable for them.

“We’re seeing record numbers of people in Dane County hospitalized with COVID-19 right now, and it’s predicted those numbers could climb even further this month. Our hospitals may not have capacity to take care of additional patients with the flu in this situation,” says Ellens. “We want everyone to take the flu very seriously by getting their flu shot. This will help out our healthcare system and will prevent people from potentially getting really sick with both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time.”

Visit the Public Health website at http://publichealthmdc.com/flu for more details and up-to-date information. 

Public Health Madison & Dane County also provides free flu shots to anyone in Dane County by appointment at their office on South Park Street. Call (608) 266-4821 to make an appointment.