
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 24, 1993                   TAG: 9310240001
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY, KAN.                                LENGTH: Short

DRIVE-THROUGH FLU SHOTS DRAW CROWD

Getting a hamburger is quicker, but neither the hour-plus wait nor the needle's sting bothered an overflow crowd that lined up for "drive-through" flu shots Saturday.

"I knew it would be crowded," Bob Hardesty said from his car in the line outside the University of Kansas Medical Center. "But I need the shot."

The medical center offered free influenza vaccinations to anyone willing to drive along a short route at the center, with stops to fill out release forms and answer basic health questions.

Hundreds of cars lined up before the 9 a.m. opening. The medical center had expected more than 1,000 people to take advantage of the drive-through clinic, but more than 2,000 turned out. Weather was sunny, with temperatures in the upper 60s.

Volunteers with walkie-talkies directed traffic, which crawled from station to station. Signs decorated with red and blue balloons lined the route.

"I don't mind the wait," said Dave Johnson, an electrician from Overland Park. "It's worth it."

At the final station, the drivers rolled down their windows, stuck out their arms and received injections from nurses.

Judging from license plates, people from both Kansas and Missouri took advantage of the free shots, along with a handful from Nebraska.

"Yeah, business is booming," volunteer Jon Jackson said while helping direct traffic. "It's doing great."

The medical center decided to offer the drive-through clinic because this year's strain of the flu virus is expected to be particularly strong, said Dr. Margaret Hagen, medical director of the flu-shot clinic.

by CNB