VA Puget Sound annual Flu Blitz offers Veterans free vaccines

VA Puget Sound Main Campuses:

• American Lake (9600 Veterans Drive Southwest, Tacoma, WA 98498): Drive-thru, Sept. 29 – Oct. 25, Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Seattle (1660 S Columbian Way, Building 101, Seattle, WA 98108): Walk-in, Sept. 29 – Oct. 25, Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

VA Puget Sound Community Clinics:

• Mount Vernon (307 South 13th Street, Suite 200, Mount Vernon, WA 98274): Walk-in, Oct. 8-30, Wednesday-Thursday, 3 – 4:30 p.m.
• Silverdale (9177 Ridgetop Boulevard NW, Silverdale, WA 98383): Walk-in, Sept. 30-Oct. 28, Tuesdays, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
• Everett (220 Olympic Boulevard, Everett, WA 98203): By appointment only, Sept. 30–Oct. 28, Tuesdays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Wednesdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.; Thursdays, 1 – 4 p.m.; Walk-In, Saturday, October 11, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Port Angeles (1114 Georgiana Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362-4212): Walk-in, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Olympia (500 Lilly Road Northeast, Suites 201 Olympia, WA 98506-5197): Walk-in, Oct. 18-25, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Puyallup (11216 Sunrise Boulevard East, Suite 209, Building 3, Puyallup, WA 98374): Walk-in, Sept. 28-Oct. 24, 3 – 4 p.m.
• Oak Harbor (3475 North Saratoga Street, Building 993 Oak Harbor, WA 98278): By regularly scheduled appointment only. 

“Flu shots are your best protection against influenza viruses,” said VA Puget Sound Health Care Director of Employee Occupational Health Dr. Chunbia Zhang. “They are recommended annually because the virus changes over time.”

VA Puget Sound’s Centralized Vaccine Clinics will be closed during the flu campaign but will reopen after October 25. All sites will be closed on October 13 for the federal holiday. Veterans may also receive their flu shot during their regularly scheduled primary care appointments.

Eligible Veterans can receive flu vaccine at in-network pharmacies and urgent care locations (must show VA identification card to get a free flu shot). Use VA’s online facility locator to find an in-network urgent care or retail pharmacy near you.

Veterans may hear a recorded message by calling the Vaccine Hotline at (206) 277-4040.

About VA Puget Sound Health Care System:

VA Puget Sound Health Care System provides comprehensive care to more than 155,000 Veterans across the Pacific Northwest—approximately 120,000 are enrolled with a primary care team at one of its 10 care sites: two medical centers (American Lake and Seattle), seven outpatient clinics (Edmonds, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor, OIympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup and Silverdale), and two Community Resource & Referral Centers (Georgetown in Seattle and Renton). As VA’s 4th largest research program, VA Puget Sound has research in virtually every major clinical department, including: TBI and multiple blast exposures, memory improvement and Alzheimer's Disease, PTSD and deployment health, Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, cancer, substance abuse, lower limb prosthetics, genomics, and Health Services. Additionally, it has seven nationally recognized Centers of Excellence (in areas from limb-loss prevention and prosthetic engineering to primary care education and substance abuse treatment). For more information visit https://www.va.gov/puget-sound-health-care/or call . For Veterans in Crisis, please use the Veterans Crisis line at 988 (press 1).

Hunter Gordian, Public Affairs Manager