1981-07-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Smith told the Board that we received notification that the pnetmococcal vaccine that had been produced last year should be turned back to the company that manufactured it. The past vaccine is not to be given to any pregnant women or any one under the menopause age. Mr. Smith said this had been brought to his attention at first by the Lederle saleman trying to get him to purchase his vaccine. He contacted the State and they had just received notice to send to health departments to have any vaccine left from last year turned back to the manufacture for an updated vaccine. The Board said to call Merck, Sharp & Dohme and have them pick up the vaccine we have stored and have them exchange it for the updated vaccine to give at our clinic. Mr. Lambie asked how many people get immunized at pneumococcal vaccine clinic. Mr. Smith said last year we did about 35 people, only. Dr. Erdos said that Medicare will now pay for the immunization vaccines. They are now trying to decide how medicare will pay for the vaccine received through a public clinic. At the doctors office they are charged $5.00 for the vaccine and $5.00 for administering it. Dr. Erdos wanted to know if we could take Medicare numbers and then submit a bill to Medicare for the people that are under it. Mr. Smith said that Dr. Fiumara of the State Health said we could, but it will create an awful lot of extra paper work. Mr. Smith said we try to get a good size clinic going. He advertises in the newspaper, church bulletins, markets, etc. trying to make everyone over 60 years old aware of our clinics. IMMUNE Mr. Smith brought up the subject to the Board of distribution of the immune SERUM serum. The State Health Dept. is not able to get much of this because the Federal Government is holding it back. The vaccine is primarily given to people that are "hepatitis contacts" but many doctors give it to people that are traveling out of this country. We were only alloted five vials instead of the fifty that we usually get. We would like to give this to physicians that are only giving it to the hepatitis contacts. If it is for someone traveling, we would like to suggest that the physician purchase it at a pharmacy. Another question we would like to discuss; Because this vaccine is so scarce we would like to distribute it when the patient is a Lexington resident. In Arlington when a physician administers this vaccine they always make the patient pick the vaccine up at the Lexington Health Office before their office visit. We would like to do that also as the vaccine is recorded against this Department. We have to send to Jamaica Plain for all our vaccines that is distributed and administered by physicians. This is charged to our Department when the records are sent to the State each month by this Department. The Board agreed to let this Department to handle the immune serum this way. Tetanus Toxoid is also a very limited vaccine at this time.