Free March Flu Shots for El Paso Residents

March is here and so are your free flu shots courtesy of the El Paso Health Department and the El Paso Fire Department.

If you haven’t received your flu shot this may be the time. I was just down a whole week with the flu and while it was awful it could have been worse had I not taken a flu shot earlier last month.

El Paso residents are encouraged to take advantage of the “Vaccinations for Health” program which provides vaccinations and basic health screenings for El Pasoans ages 18 and above who don’t have private medical insurance.

The services are completely free to residents of El Paso and Hudspeth County who are 18 and over and do not have medical insurance or are on Medicaid. The free services include: free blood pressure and glucose screenings, colorectal screening kits to patients 50 and over and influenza and pneumonia vaccines to those 65 and older.

March is also Colorectal Cancer Prevention Month, so if you are over 50 and under 75 make sure to ask about the free ColoCare kit offered at the vaccine clinics listed below. According to the El Paso Fire Department: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women in the U.S.

March clinics are as follows:

• Wednesday March 1: EPFD Safety, Health Outreach Center, 5415 Trowbridge Dr., 1-5:30 p.m.
• Wednesday March 8: EPFD Safety, Health Outreach Center, 5415 Trowbridge Dr., 1-5:30 p.m.
• Wednesday March 29: EPFD Safety, Health Outreach Center, 5415 Trowbridge Dr., 1-5:30 p.m.

For more information, citizens are encouraged to call 311 or visit ephealth.com.