Jabs made easier as mobile clinic, therapy dog visit Torquay

WITH flu season well underway, the Geelong Mobile Vaccination Services will visit Torquay for the first time this May, hosting two pop-up flu clinics for the community.

The mobile service – which began five years ago in Little River and now operates across Victoria – aims to provide a comfortable and convenient way for people to receive their annual flu vaccination.

“We started this as an opportunity to do something a bit different,” emergency nurse practitioner and clinic founder Tash Jennings said.

The clinics will be held at Torquay Community House on 16 May from 9am to 4pm, and 20 May from 10am to 12pm.

 

 

Patients will have the opportunity to speak with a medical professional and receive a general health screening alongside their vaccination.

In partnership with Hearing Victoria, free hearing tests will also be available on the day.

A new option this year is FluMist, a nasal spray alternative to the traditional flu shot, available for children aged two to 17. Widely used internationally for more than a decade, the vaccine has only recently been approved in Australia.

Jennings said the needle-free option is expected to be popular among younger patients.

“I’ve got a 16-year-old son, and I gave him the option – the needle or the spray – and he took the spray,” Jennings said. “He said, ‘If I’ve got an option, why wouldn’t I?’

To help ease anxiety, the clinic is often joined by Juma, a local golden retriever therapy dog who supports nervous patients.

 

 

“He has this ability to sense if someone is a bit nervous,” Jennings said. “He’ll sit next to the person, put his paw on their knee, and then when they give permission, he’ll put his other paw on their knee, and then their immediate reaction is to give him a cuddle.

“While they’re having a cuddle, we give them the vaccine.”

She said many families now ask in advance if Juma will be attending.

Under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), the flu vaccine is free for people over 65, children aged six months to five years, Indigenous Australians, pregnant women, and those with specific health conditions. In Victoria, the new FluMist vaccine is not included on the NIP and is currently only available via private prescription.

Appointments for the clinic can be booked at geelongmobilevaccinationservices.as.me