A
5200 Harry Hines Blvd.
,
Dallas
,
TX
75235
- connect with a hospital unit or department
- 214-590-8000
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- locate a patient
- connect with a hospital unit
- 214-590-8000
- schedule an appointment with our clinics if you are a new patient
- 214-590-5601
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- report patient care issues
- 469-419-0820
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- help with financial issues
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- 214-590-4900
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- provide spiritual or emotional comfort
- 214-590-8512
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- provide support for MyChart
- Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7p.m
- 214-590-7000
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- 214-590-1152
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- provide information about Parkland jobs
- 214-590-8073
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- provide information on products and equipment
- 214-590-4600
- provide supplier information
- 214-590-4600
- Visitation hours may vary by floor
- 214-590-8000
- Main Retail Café: Mon - Sun | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Starbucks Café: WISH Building | Mon - Fri | 5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Park Market Café: Mon - Fri | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. | 8 p.m. - 4 a.m. | Sat -Sun | 7 p.m. - 4 a.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- 214-590-8831
- Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday: Closed
- Holiday hours may be different
Posted: 10/20/2015
Vaccine provides high level of protection
Fall not only brings cooler weather and football, it also marks the beginning of flu season that usually starts in October and can last through March or later.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stress that this year’s flu vaccine is a good match for influenza strains expected this season.
Anyone can get the flu regardless of age, and it can have serious consequences. Anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population is affected by the flu virus every season and about 36,000 people die. It is especially important for women who are pregnant to get vaccinated since they are at a higher risk for complications from the flu.
“The bottom line is vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family against the flu,” said Donna Persaud, MD, Chief of Pediatrics at Parkland Health & Hospital System. “It boosts immunity and also reduces the severity of complications if someone does contract the flu.”
Dr. Persaud said studies have shown that children who are vaccinated have a 74 percent decreased risk of getting admitted to a pediatric ICU with flu-related illnesses and similar risk reductions were seen in adults and the elderly.
It’s important to get the vaccine early since it takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection.
That’s why Parkland’s Community Oriented Primary Care health centers are offering flu vaccines as part of the Walk-In Wednesday’s campaign. Dallas County residents can get flu vaccines without having to make an appointment from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. every Wednesday during fall and winter months. If they prefer, people can call 214.266.4000 to schedule an appointment.
Parkland accepts insurance, including Medicaid/Chip and Medicare. All children will be assessed to determine if they are eligible for the Texas Vaccines for Children's immunization program. Patients who are enrolled in the Parkland Financial Assistance (PFA) program can get their vaccines covered at no or low cost. PFA members will be responsible for their payment dependent on the PFA level. For persons without health insurance, Parkland can provide financial screening.
“Pregnant women with the flu have a greater chance for serious problems for their fetuses, including premature birth,” Patricia Chenault-Salisbury, MS, APRN, Clinic Manager at Parkland’s E. Carlyle Smith Jr. Health Center in Grand Prairie. Most major organizations such as the CDC, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated against the flu.
“Some women fear that the vaccine will adversely affect their babies, but research has shown that there are health benefits for the unborn babies, and those benefits continue for up to six months,” Chenault-Salisbury said. “Flu shots have not been shown to cause harm to the mothers or their unborn children.”
To find the Parkland COPC health center nearest you, visit www.parklandhospital.com/locations.