FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s (BACH) patient care teams are slated to begin providing flu vaccines to families within the Patient-Centered Medical Homes the middle of October, offering the vaccine at multiple Fort Campbell locations again this year.

Active duty soldiers preparing to deploy are receiving the first vaccines. Once additional vaccine shipments arrive, patients enrolled to any of the BACH medical homes, including Air Assault, Young Eagle, Gold, Byrd Combined Soldier and Family, LaPointe Soldier, Aviation, and Screaming Eagle Medical Homes, will be able to receive the vaccine during scheduled appointments.

Patients assigned to BACH may also receive the vaccine without an appointment during walk-in hours within their assigned medical home.

BACH’s preventive medicine team scheduled six public influenza vaccine events again this year – available to all TRICARE beneficiaries six months or older, including Soldiers, Retirees and Family members with a military ID card.

The following events begin in late September and end in late October:
 Retiree Fair at the Soldier Readiness Center (former Commissary): 1 to 5 p.m., Sat., Sept.
24
 Town Center Pharmacy: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 11
 Commissary: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 15 and Fri., Oct. 28
 Post Exchange: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 18 and Tues., Oct.25

In addition, BACH’s Preventive Medicine team will work with staff throughout Fort Campbell Schools to offer the vaccine to Department of Defense Education Activity eligible school-age students the week of Nov. 14 to 18, during school hours. Information will be distributed to parents about each school’s specific dates and times as the event draws closer. Permission slips will be distributed by each school approximately one week before the planned
vaccination day.

Patients Assigned to Providers Outside of BACH
Patients assigned to a network primary care provider (off post) who choose not to attend one of the community outreach flu campaign events, should ask to receive the flu vaccine from their assigned primary care manager (PCM). If their assigned healthcare provider does not offer the flu vaccine as a TRICARE-covered benefit, patients may receive the influenza vaccine with no copayment at participating retail network pharmacies. To find a participating pharmacy, visit www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE/pharmacy, or call 1-877-363-1303, option 4.

*On June 22, 2016, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended not using intranasal influenza vaccine (LAIV4/Flumist); therefore, the DoD will not be using the intranasal spray vaccine this year.