San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.comH1N1 clinics start at San Diego schools

H1N1 clinics start at San Diego schools

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS 8) - Thousands of children in the county are getting the swine flu vaccine and they don't have to skip school or wait in long lines to receive it. County health is now offering swine flu shots and sprays at some local schools.

There are more than 12,000 nasal mist vaccines and 8,000 shots available, thanks to a partnership between county schools and Health and Human Services.

"A lot of them [students] are underserved in terms of medical insurance, so it's a great experience for them to be able to get care at school," Horton Elementary School Principal Robin McCulloch-Fair said.

Chollas View and Horton Elementary were selected to receive the doses because many of the children have no way to get to clinics to get vaccinated for the deadly virus.

"A lot of our families don't have cars, so being able to come right here to get the service they need is much more helpful. It's very difficult when you have to use public transportation to get around to get that type of support," McCulloch-Fair said.

Horton Elementary nurse Rosemary Jaworski lobbied district and county health officials to get one of the operations at her school. She also encouraged parents to sign up their children as soon as possible to get them protected.

"We're all fearful of the virus. What can we do? And this has empowered parents to do something for their children," she said.

Jaworski, who has been Horton's nurse for 34 years, had high praise for students who sailed through the vaccination process.

"They've been doing outstanding. We really didn't have any problems, it's just been amazing," Jaworski said.

Besides Horton, there was another clinic at Oceanview Hills Elementary in San Ysidro.