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The Mecklenburg County Health Department on Tuesday received its first shipment of a nasal spray vaccine for the H1N1 flu, but it's too early to know when it will be available to the general public.
Health Department Director Wynn Mabry said the office now has 3,600 doses of the FluMist vaccine with more - including an injection form - expected to arrive in the future.
The health department requested 160,000 vaccine doses.
N.C. officials said Tuesday they ordered 52,000 vaccine doses last week, which will be sent to 102 providers statewide, including counties and hospital systems.
Mabry told county commissioners the health department is reaching out to other medical providers to learn how much of the vaccine is available in the community and how the doses will be distributed.
The nasal spray is recommended for healthy people between the ages of 2 and 49. Pregnant women and those with chronic medical conditions would need the injected vaccine.
Among those to be first in line for the nasal spray, Mabry said, are medical personnel and some child-care providers under 50. He also said the health department wants to be able to serve clients of the federal program that serves low-income women and children.
Mabry said he doesn't know yet when the health department will be able to offer the vaccine to the broader public. He encouraged people to contact their doctors to see whether they have the vaccine. It also may be available to pharmacies in the future.
The county also is working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and private schools to offer vaccinations to students once more doses arrive.
People with questions about the vaccine can call 311 or visit www.meckhealth.org.
Jail protest
Also at Tuesday's commissioners meeting, some residents urged the county board to spend more money on programs that help people with mental illness or substance abuse problems instead of sending them to jail.
Commissioners agreed last month to build a new jail in northern Charlotte. But the crowd of more than 60 people argued that treating the underlying problems that may cause some people to commit crimes could help ease overcrowding in the jails.
A resident of a county diversion program credited the effort with helping him to receive proper medication for his bipolar and schizophrenia disorder. He said without the medication, he'd turned to alcohol and other drugs, which caused him to wind up in jail.
Ellen Penniger, a graduate student at UNC Charlotte, said diversion programs have saved other communities across the country millions of dollars because they are cheaper to operate than jails.
County officials acknowledged the mental health programs need to be expanded. Sheriff Chipp Bailey said it's not a debate over a jail versus support for mental health; instead, he said, the community needs both.
Finally, commissioners have begun work on their annual evaluation of County Manager Harry Jones. The review will continue in coming weeks with commissioners deciding, among other things, whether Jones will receive a performance bonus for 2008-09.
