Central and Southern Illinois – As colder months approach, health professionals encourage the community to reduce their risk of illness by getting the flu vaccine.

The public can now receive their flu vaccine at the following flu shot clinics.

HSHS Medical Group Walk-in Lab – Springfield
2901 Old Jacksonville Rd., Springfield
Walk in or schedule appointment at MyHSHS.org
Monday – Friday, 7:30 am – 4:30 pm

HSHS Medical Group Drive-Thru Care – Decatur
5285 E. Maryland St., Suite A, Decatur
Walk in or schedule appointment at MyHSHS.org
October 17 and November 10, 8 am – 2 pm

HSHS Medical Group Drive-Thru Care – O’Fallon
406 Hartman Lane, O’Fallon
No appointment needed
October 13, 10 am – 4 pm

The drive-thru locations are not able to provide flu vaccines for children enrolled in the Illinois Medicaid Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Patients who are enrolled with this program will need to coordinate with their primary care office or the local health department.

Appointments for flu vaccines are also available to established patients at HSHS Medical Group primary care clinics in central and southern Illinois. Call your HSHS Medical Group primary care office or use MyHSHS, the HSHS online patient portal, to schedule an appointment.

How to make a vaccine appointment through MyHSHS
It is free and easy to create a MyHSHS account and schedule an appointment online:

  • Go to www.myhshs.org.
  • Login or create a MyHSHS account by clicking “Sign Up Now.”
  • Under Menu, click “COVID-19/Influenza Vaccine Scheduling.”
  • Click “COVID-19 /Flu Vaccination” and answer questions on eligibility to schedule a flu vaccine, COVID vaccine or both.
  • You will be able to choose from available appointments at our Springfield, Decatur and O’Fallon drive-thru locations.

Who Should Get a Flu Vaccine

  • Everyone 6 months and older needs a yearly flu vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. Getting vaccinated is even more important if you or someone you live with is at higher risk for complications from the flu.
  • This group includes older adults; pregnant women; young children; and people with chronic health problems, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or cancer.
  • People in high-risk groups are more vulnerable to flu complications. They may become very sick if they get the flu. Some may have to go to a hospital.
  • But remember: Almost everyone should get a new flu vaccine every year. Even healthy people can get sick and pass it on. And past vaccines won’t protect you because flu viruses always changes

It takes two weeks to build immunity to the flu virus. So try to get vaccinated by the end of October. That way your body will be ready to fight the flu when it gets here.

For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit hshsmedicalgroup.org.

Additional source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

###

About HSHS Medical Group
HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,000 colleagues in locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states – Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay).  HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.