VA Portland Health Care System
VAPORHCS Flu Shot Information Page
If you choose to get your flu shot in the community, please let us know so we can update your records. You can:
1) Use MyHealtheVet to send your healthcare team a secure message OR
2) Return the postcard you received in a sealed envelope OR
3) Leave a voice mail at 503-273-5225. Please remember that this number is only to let us know that you got your flu shot. It is not a call-back line.
Click this link for more influenza / flu information.
Veterans enrolled in VA health care may receive their flu shots, free-of-charge. No appointment is necessary. Please bring your Veteran's ID card with you.
Flu shot are available!
See details below, but for the most current information patients are encouraged to call the flu hotline number, before leaving home, at 503-808-1923 or outside Portland at 800-949-1004, ext. 51923.
Healthy living matters & prevention works! YOU have lots of ways to get a flu shot...
- Ask for a flu shot during your appointment.
- Visit the VA clinic in the community where you get your care: Monday – Friday, except holidays. Walk in during open clinic hours. You may be asked to wait 5-15 minutes.
Can’t do it today or at a VA clinic? Visit your local Walgreens Pharmacy. No-cost flu shots at your Walgreens Pharmacy for Veterans until March 31, 2020 - Show your Veteran’s ID card and a second photo ID. More details about the VA-Walgreens partnership is here: https://www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/…/veterans/immunization.asp
Click this link below for many details on WHY YOU should get a flu shot...
Learn more »
Influenza or “the flu” is caused by a virus and can be a serious infection. The flu can be prevented easily or at least made less severe by getting a flu shot. The best time to get a flu shot is as soon as the vaccine becomes available in September. However, getting a flu shot later still will protect you from the flu.
The flu spreads easily from person to person. The infection can be mild, but it also can cause severe illness and even death. Certain people are at greater risk for serious illness if they get the flu. This includes older persons, young children and pregnant women; people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease; and people who live in facilities like nursing homes.
All persons aged 6 months and older should get a flu vaccination, including persons with minor egg allergies. For most people with minor egg allergies, the benefits of getting a flu shot outweigh the risks of getting the flu. If you are allergic to eggs, please tell your health care provider so that special precautions can be made.
The flu shot is safe and it works. While it is not 100% effective in preventing the flu, if you get the shot and still get the flu, it is usually far less serious than if you did not get the shot. Sometimes there are side effects from the shot that may be mistaken for the flu, such as a sore arm, body aches or a slight fever.
In addition to getting the flu shot, there are other things you can do to avoid getting or spreading the flu:
• Wash your hands often;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
• Stay home when you are sick if possible; and
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
