CHAMPAIGN — Three upcoming clinics at Champaign middle schools will provide immunizations and school physicals for Champaign students.
The first clinic is from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Edison Middle School, 306 W. Green St., C. The next is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, at Jefferson Middle School, 1115 S. Crescent Dr., C, and the final clinic is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, April 23, at Franklin Middle School, 817 N. Harris, C.
The clinics will be hosted by the Champaign school district, the Champaign Urbana Public Health District and the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
The clinic will offer the "Tdap" booster. Students entering sixth and ninth grades next school year will be required to show proof of receiving one dose of the booster. It protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.
The health district will also offer other immunizations students might need, said Margee Poole, the Champaign schools' lead nurse.
The health district will bill Medicaid and Health Alliance, and the cost for the Tdap for uninsured or underinsured students will be about $17. Out-of-pocket cost for those on other insurance plans will be $87.
Medical residents from the University of Illinois College of Medicine will provide school physicals for free. Physicals are also required for students entering sixth and ninth grades next year.
The clinics are targeting students those ages, Poole said, but other students are welcome, as well.
They're also required for students entering pre-kindergarten and kindergarten or from out of state, according to the Champaign schools' website.
The requirements for students entering different grades vary — you can see them at http://www.champaignschools.org/parentresources.html [2].
Students who don't have the correct immunizations and other health requirements by the school district's deadline can potentially be excluded from school, Poole said.
Poole said clinics like these provide an important service especially for students who are uninsured or underinsured.
"We want to keep our kids in school," Poole said.
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