With public school starting in a little more than two weeks, county health departments are seeing more and more families packing their clinics to get kids鈥� shots.
Dallas County鈥檚 Health and Human Services Director Zachary Thompson is almost always hawking immunizations.
鈥淭here might be at least 10,000 students,鈥� Thompson says, 鈥渢hat have not got their immunizations. So we need to get them immunized because on the first day of school, if their immunizations are not up to date, they鈥檒l be turned away.鈥�
That was Thompson in Fair Park last week at the back-to-school fair. He says no one wants kids and parents lined up around the county鈥檚 Stemmons clinic on a hot first day of school. Today, dozens of families, including Dawn Guice and her daughters, are here for shots.
Six year-old Stacie has learned games on mom鈥檚 cell phone help distract her from the needle.
鈥�I love to play games because they鈥檙e fun,鈥� Stacie says. 鈥淚 play Pet Rescue. You鈥檙e supposed to find two matches and push it and then you find two more matches and push it.鈥�
Mom says that distraction works up until the sleeve gets lifted and cool alcohol swipes the arm. That鈥檚 when mom steps in.
鈥淭his one here, most of the time I have to tell her to turn her heard,鈥� explains mom. 鈥淚 say 鈥榣ook out there, there鈥檚 a bird, out the window.鈥� Click, and that鈥檚 it.鈥�
Stacie took the shots well enough. Four-year-old sister Makayla made more noise.
鈥淥, wow, ow鈥� Makayla yells.
But within about a second or two, she鈥檚 smiling. Mom says Makayla actually wanted her shots.
鈥淪he begged for the shots,鈥� Dawn Guice says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been begging ever since she turned four. It doesn鈥檛 bother her.鈥�
That鈥檚 because Makayla can鈥檛 wait to go to school, like her sister.
鈥淲hatever her sister does, she wants to also,鈥� observes mom. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 getting up and going to school in the morning she thinks she鈥檚 supposed to go too.鈥�
And now, she鈥檒l be ready for pre-k, thanks to the shots, today three in one arm, covered with cartoon band aids. Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant Counties offer affordable immunizations to qualified, low-income families.
