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For the school-based clinics, Patients First has been providing the additional staffing needed at no cost to the county or the schools.
The vaccination program which provides vaccine and ancillary supplies free of charge originated at the federal level.
Each week, states receive allocations from the federal government.
Missouri allocates its supplies to each county health department.
Since the program began, Franklin County has received about 12,100 doses of vaccine, said Lana Langhorst, health department nursing supervisor.
"Considering the population of Franklin County is over 100,000, the vaccine is still in limited availability status," Langhorst said.
In addition to the vaccines provided for clinics at schools, the county also has been able to provide limited doses to several public clinics, including Walgreens in Union and Washington, the Take Care Clinic in Washington, the Mercy Care Now Clinic, Union, and Halls Pharmacy, Krakow.
Those businesses are offering the shots on a limited basis, typically by appointment only or only on a clinic basis.
Doses are still only available to those individuals in the high priority groups including young children, pregnant women, health care workers, those under the age of 24 and those over 24 with chronic health conditions.
Vaccine providers have arrangements with the county to receive doses as they are received.
More providers are needed, however, Langhorst said.
"We are continuously looking to get more providers on board to assist with the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine," she said.
"The health department has never been informed of the total amount of vaccine that will be coming to Franklin County," Langhorst said. "If we continue to receive thousands of doses, it is going to require a lot of providers to get the job done.
"If the vaccine is readily available at many sites throughout the county, then people will spend less time having to stand in long lines at community clinics to obtain the vaccine," she said.
Providers are allowed to charge an administrative fee for providing the vaccinations.
The clinics held at schools, however, have been offered for free.
"The purpose of the program is to get the vaccine out as quickly as possible to as many people who want it," Langhorst said.
As doses continue to become available, Langhorst said the best way people can find them is to first contact their medical doctor.
"If their doctor is a provider for the vaccine and doesn't have any, the doctor can call the health department and we can get them some as soon as it is available," Langhorst said.
If a private doctor is not a provider and wants to be, he or she can call the county health department at 636-583-7300 to set up a provider agreement.
The doctors must be practicing and have an office in Franklin County.
The department may consider public clinics in the future, but at the time there is not enough vaccine coming into the county to do so, Langhorst said.
Two large school districts, Union R-XI and Meramec Valley R-III, also still have yet to host clinics for their students.
Unless the amount of doses the county receives weekly increases, the health department will have to wait several weeks before it has enough vaccine on hand to do those larger districts.
"It has just continued to come in in these little amounts," Langhorst said.
After those districts are done, the county plans to go back and do second doses for children under age 10 as is recommended.
"After the Meramec Valley and Union districts are done, then we will consider second doses," Langhorst said. "It should be much easier and faster since there will be fewer children getting second doses.
"The school clinics started on Oct. 26 and will finish hopefully Dec. 4," she said.
Federal officials recommend a second dose at least 28 days after the first dose.
