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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Kistler Elementary School parking lot is usually empty on Saturdays.</p><p>But not this Saturday.</p><p>The city&#8217;s Health Department used it to distribute free flu shots at a drive-thru clinic while also testing aspects of its public health emergency preparedness plan.</p><p>&#8220;The purpose of this exercise is that in the event we have to deliver medicine or vaccine, we can reach 20,000 people a day in an actual emergency,&#8221; said Wilkes-Barre City Health Director Henry Radulski. &#8220;The process we have set up is very effective.&#8221;</p><p>Should there be an actual emergency or crisis, the city&#8217;s health department is notified of the emergency by the federal government. Officials then have 48 hours to distribute the medicine or vaccination they received from federal authorities, according to Radulski.</p><p>As part of the health department&#8217;s preparedness plan, they opted to hand out flu vaccines to residents who participated in the exercise.</p><p>&#8220;Distributing the flu vaccine today is practically the same process as distributing other medications in case of an emergency,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The health department had four timed checkpoints for drivers to go through during the exercise to receiver the vaccine.</p><p>At the first checkpoint, drivers signed in and a time was written down before they moved to the next checkpoint.</p><p>When drivers made it to the second phase of the exercise, they filled out a registration form to receive the vaccine.</p><p>During the third stage, the vaccine was handed to the driver by health department staff members. Once again their time was recorded.</p><p>The final stage was the vehicle&#8217;s exit followed by a staff member who jotted down their exit time.</p><p>&#8220;The purpose of writing down the times of each vehicle at each point of the exercise is to determine how efficient we are in our after-action review,&#8221; Radulski explained. &#8220;So far, it&#8217;s roughly taken 10 minutes per car to complete all four stages.&#8221;</p><p>Kistler Elementary and Dan Flood Elementary in the North End are the only two &#8220;points of dispensing&#8221; in the city, or pre-determined locations where medication is dispensed in case of an emergency or crisis.</p><p>&#8220;Kistler was chosen this year because we have to perform the exercise at each point-of-dispensing location,&#8221; Radulski added. &#8220;We are actually ahead of schedule for 2019, having done the exercise at both locations.&#8221;</p><p>Along with health department staffers, first responders were also on hand to assist with the drill.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Devon Buckley, a community health nurse for the city, administers a flu shot to Jen Anthony, 88, of Wilkes-Barre, during Saturday&#8217;s drive-thru clinic at Kistler Elementary. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_flu_shot1_faa-1-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Devon Buckley, a community health nurse for the city, administers a flu shot to Jen Anthony, 88, of Wilkes-Barre, during Saturday&#8217;s drive-thru clinic at Kistler Elementary. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_FluShots3-1-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barb Miller, of the city&#8217;s Community Emergency Response Team, talks to people in their vehicle during Saturday&#8217;s drive-thru flu clinic at Kistler Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_FluShots3-1-1-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Barb Miller, of the city&#8217;s Community Emergency Response Team, talks to people in their vehicle during Saturday&#8217;s drive-thru flu clinic at Kistler Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_flu_shot4_faa-2-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">People in their cars pull up to checkpoints as part of the process to get a free flu shot Saturday at Kistler Elementary in Wilkes-Barre. The city&#8217;s health staff set up checkpoints so they could time each part of the process. The event was a way for Wilkes-Barre to test its public health emergency plan. to get their flu shots at the Drive Through Free Flu Shot Clinic held at Kessler Elementary School Saturday &#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Fred Adams|for Times Leader 10-13-18 </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_flu_shot4_faa-2-1-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>People in their cars pull up to checkpoints as part of the process to get a free flu shot Saturday at Kistler Elementary in Wilkes-Barre. The city&#8217;s health staff set up checkpoints so they could time each part of the process. The event was a way for Wilkes-Barre to test its public health emergency plan. to get their flu shots at the Drive Through Free Flu Shot Clinic held at Kessler Elementary School Saturday &#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Fred Adams|for Times Leader 10-13-18 </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_flu_shot5_faa-1-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">John Lawzano gets a free flu shot Saturday from Devon Buckley, a community health nurse for the city, outside Kistler Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre. The city was using the drive-thru flu clinic as a way to test its public health emergency plan. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_flu_shot5_faa-1-1-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>John Lawzano gets a free flu shot Saturday from Devon Buckley, a community health nurse for the city, outside Kistler Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre. The city was using the drive-thru flu clinic as a way to test its public health emergency plan. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Same process would be used during public health emergency</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre uses flu clinic to test emergency plan