Students in the Hermiston School District must be up to date on their vaccinations or they will not be able to attend school or child care starting Feb. 19.
State law requires that all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities have up-to-date documentation on their immunizations or the necessary paperwork exempting the requirement.
The Umatilla County Public Health Department Hermiston Office will be open on Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. offering student immunizations. If families are unable to attend during this timeframe, other options include:
• Umatilla County Public Health Department in Hermiston, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Umatilla County Public Health Department in Pendleton, Mondays through Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Mirasol Family Health Center in Hermiston
• Urgent Care in Hermiston
• Your primary care physician
“Immunization is an effective way to keep schools and the entire community healthy,” said Stacy de Assis Matthews, school law coordinator in the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division. “We want to make sure children are fully protected against vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough.”
Parents of adolescents should be aware that one dose of Tdap vaccine is required for seventh through 12th graders. Tdap is a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) booster.
The hepatitis A vaccine, which protects against a communicable viral infection, is a two-dose series required for children 18 months and older in child care, preschool and kindergarten through fifth grade.
For further information, visit the Oregon Health Authority website.
