Central and Southern Illinois —HSHS Medical Group, HSHS Illinois hospitals and Prairie Cardiovascular are encouraging all to get a flu shot as soon as possible, especially as COVID-19 and the Delta variant continue to be widespread throughout the communities they serve.
“Vaccinations are the most effective tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and flu,” said Marc McCleary, MD, a family medicine physician and associate medical director with HSHS Medical Group. “Getting vaccinated for both viruses is beneficial to your health, the health of your loved ones and the health of your community.”
Appointments for flu vaccines are now available to established patients at HSHS Medical Group locations in Central and Southern Illinois. Call your HSHS Medical Group primary care office or use MyChart to schedule an appointment. For more information, please visit our website.
Every flu season is different, and influenza can affect people differently. However, millions of people get flu every year; hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized; and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Flu shots are especially important for young children, pregnant women, people age 65 and older and people with chronic health conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, heart or lung disease).
HSHS Medical Group also provides COVID-19 vaccinations at HSHS Drive-Thru Care locations in Decatur, Springfield and O’Fallon, Illinois. For more information on COVID-19 vaccination with HSHS Medical Group, including third dose and booster availability, please visit https://www.hshs.org/HSHS-Medical-Group/News/COVID-19-VACCINE-INFORMATION.
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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 1,300 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 info