Excerpted from November 8 message to the community

Our long-awaited approval came last Wednesday for the five- to 11-year-olds, and it really is wonderful to see so many families out there getting their children vaccinated. We vaccinated almost 1,200 children ourselves this weekend so, I know that others are quickly giving that vaccine, and the more children we get vaccinated—especially before the holidays—the better. Here are the new hours that we are offering. The one significant change I want to make sure that you hear is that we are not permitting walk-ups. There was such a huge crush of demand that we were not able to manage both the walk-ups as well as the appointments and so we’ve gone to all appointments. Schedule an appointment at InspiraHealthNetwork.org.

Inspira’s vaccination clinics are located on the campuses of Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill and Inspira Medical Center Vineland. Hours of operation for both sites are:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday next week, the distribution sites will operate on Monday, November 22, and Tuesday, November 23 only, and be closed for the remainder of the week—reopening on Monday, November 29.

Of course, we are still offering the boosters in the same vaccine tents as well as our flu shots are offered at our urgent care centers as well as our retail pharmacies. Flu shots, as I’ve mentioned before, are really important this year.

As a matter of fact, we recognized World Pneumonia Day on November 12th. We see, during this season especially, an increased rate of pneumonia, and there are things you can do to prevent pneumonia—flu vaccine, making sure that you’re wearing your mask, washing your hands, especially if you smoke and have underlying conditions that would predispose you to pneumonia. It really is so important that you take care of yourself during this season especially.