H1N1 vaccines for patients only

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - H1N1 vaccines in Tippecanoe County are hard to come by because of a nationwide shortage.

Riggs Community Health Center in Lafayette has both the nasal and shot vaccinations, but they are only giving it out to their own patients. A Lafayette mother said Riggs turned down her high risk son because he is not a patient of Riggs Community Health Care Center.

Administrators at Riggs Community Health Center said their policy for giving out H1N1 vaccinations is the same as what the Tippecanoe County Health Department suggested: the primary care physician will be giving out H1N1 vaccinations.

Community health centers take on patients that usually don't have access to primary care physicians, but when it comes to vaccines this is not the case.

Riggs Community Health Center's President and CEO Veronique LeBlanc said shot-seekers must be a patient of the health center to obtain a vaccine. She said primary care physicians are still the point of care, and most residents seek care from their primary health providers. LeBlanc said the vaccine is dedicated to the patients of the health center.

"Perhaps there is some confusion because we are a community health center and we accept patients regardless, but again the H1N1 vaccine, like any other vaccine, should be administered or obtained through the primary care provider," said Leblanc.

Lafayette Mother Amy Martin said changing primary care physicians is not an option for her son, who has cerebral palsy. She said their primary care physician is outside of Tippecanoe County and they don't have as many vaccines to give out as Riggs Community Health Center.

"I would just like to see them offer those vaccines to others once they've taken care of their own patients and not sit on them and hold them," said Martin.

LeBlanc said that Riggs will not be accepting patient transfers solely for the purpose of receiving the H1N1 vaccination. So far the health center has given out almost 1,000 H1N1 vaccinations.

Riggs Community Health Center is giving priority to pregnant women and children as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.