900 local students receive swine flu vaccine

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November 13, 2009

By TRICIA NEAL, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Fri Nov 13, 2009, 08:27 PM EST

Somerset — More than 900 elementary school students received vaccinations to prevent the H1N1 virus yesterday at a mass clinic held by the Lake Cumberland District Health Department at the Hal Rogers Fire Training Center.

Students from all over the Pulaski County school district came by bus to the North Ky. 1247 facility to receive the vaccination either by a nasal mist or a shot. All students who received the vaccine had permission from their guardians, who were notified of the clinic through a letter which was sent home from each of the elementary schools.

The clinic was expected to last past noon, but the process went so smoothly that the children were finished by 11:30 a.m.

“There was a 7-10 minute wait (for the children) from the time they came in the door until they got their vaccine,” said Patricia Burton, public information officer for the Lake Cumberland District Health Department.

Burton said most of the children received their vaccinations well, in spite of the fact that many came without their parents.

“The kids did well because they were around their peers,” she said.

Each table in the facility was staffed by two nurses and a helper — and school staff and even some principals and family resource center workers were available to direct the youngsters and comfort them if they were uneasy about receiving the shot or mist.

“They were patting them on their heads, and some were even letting the kids sit in their lap while they got the vaccine,” Burton said.

Burton also said the nurses took their time with each child and explained what was going to happen when they got their vaccinations.

Burton and fellow public information officer Natalie True said the clinic was offered in an effort to get a large number of children vaccinated in a short amount of time.

“We were able to get this done in a few hours instead of all these families having to make appointments elsewhere,” True said.

Burton said the local school systems expressed interest in offering the vaccination to students as soon as the H1N1 virus began spreading.

The Science Hill Independent School District also hosted an on-site flu shot clinic yesterday.

An on-site clinic will be held at Hopkins Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 16.

The Memorial Education Center and other area preschools will be holding on-site clinics on Nov. 17.

Vaccinations for children between the ages of 6 and 36 months will be available at the LCDHD on Nov. 19. Contact the health department for an appointment.

Local middle and high schools will have on-site clinics on Nov. 20.

Those who can’t attend the on-site clinics can contact their local pharmacy, doctor’s office, or the local health department to check on the availability of the vaccines at those locations.

For more information about the H1N1 virus, visit: www.lcdhd.org.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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