Rotary Club offers free flu shots
Rotary Club of Farragut will be providing free influenza shots at Farragut High School Saturday, Oct. 1.
“We’ll give shots until we run out of shots or noon, whichever comes first,” Rotarian Mark Bialik, who frequently volunteers with the program, said. Rotarians, nurses and doctors would arrive at 7 a.m. and start work at 8 a.m. at the latest. Bialik said the shots would be given out in the commons area.
“It’s a wonderful program. From what I understand, we usually are the highest participant rate, which means that the community is really taking advantage of it, which is wonderful” Chris Camp, another frequent volunteer with the program, said.
“I always help. I work with the nurses to get the hypodermics ready. I do that every year,” she said.
Bialik said this year would be the 23rd year of the program and Dr. Charlie Barnett, who started the program, would be participating this year.
“It’s a great thing for Farragut Rotarians to give back to the community. Second thing is, my wife and I were primary caregivers for parents. Anybody who’s doing that will know that if you bring flu into an elderly house, it could actually kill them,” he said, regarding the importance of the program.
“It’s just good business from the standpoint that getting a flu shot doesn’t eliminate the chance of getting sick, but it does limit your chances of getting the flu. So, it’s a good thing,” he said.
“We feel we’re providing a service to the community for people that may not otherwise get a flu shot,” Tom Marsh, a Rotary Club of Farragut member who has volunteered four times for the program, said.
“It’s always very well organized,” he said.
“A great thing that all the [Rotary] clubs in Knox County support,” David Smoak, president of Rotary Club of Farragut and Farragut town administrator, said.
“It’s important that we’re able to support citizens who may not be able to get to the doctor or afford a flu shot,” he said.
Smoak said volunteers would not ask flu shot recipients about their reasons for getting the free flu shots.
“It could be for any reason. We don’t ask them why they’re coming. We take anyone that comes,” he said.
