AUBURN, Ind. – Sept. 26, 2025 – Area residents are invited to a community flu shot clinic on the Parkview DeKalb Hospital (PDH) campus on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 7 to 11:30 a.m.
The clinic will take place at the Medical Office Building (MOB) at 1314 E. 7th St., Suite 101. Guests are encouraged to enter the campus on the south side, park in Lot C and enter the building at entrance 5. Suite 101 is just inside that door.
“We are pleased to make this shot clinic available to area residents again this year,” said Julie McCormick, market president, Parkview Health Northeast. “Flu season is here, and this event is a great opportunity for people to get their shot, cross an important item off their fall to-do list, and start their Saturday with friendly people and a little breakfast.”
Influenza (flu) is a serious disease that sickens and even kills vulnerable Hoosiers each year. According to the Indiana Department of Health, on average, 5% to 20% of the population comes down with the flu in any given year.
Symptoms can include sore throat, runny nose, fever, cough, sneezing, fatigue and muscle aches and/or headaches. The flu can spread starting a day before symptoms appear and up to seven days after becoming sick.
“I encourage everyone to get a flu shot,” said Thomas Mason, MD, FAAFP, a Parkview Physicians Group (PPG) - Family Medicine doctor in Auburn and PDH Board member. “The flu virus mutates frequently, so the vaccine is updated every year to match the most common strains of the virus expected during that flu season. This makes the flu shot highly effective at providing protection. Vaccinated individuals are less likely to transmit the virus to others, too, which helps decrease the risk that other, vulnerable people in the community will get the flu.”
Who is vulnerable? These groups are at higher risk for serious flu complications:
- Elderly adults
- Pregnant women
- Children under age 5, especially newborns to age 2
- People who have heart, lung, kidney and other disorders
- People with chronic conditions such as obesity or compromised immune systems
“Also, it’s possible for people to contract more than one virus at a time, which can be very hard on the body,” Mason continued. “During flu season, co-infections with other viruses, such as COVID-19, can increase the risk of complications and strain healthcare resources. Vaccination helps reduce this risk.”
At the Oct. 4 clinic, shots of the regular trivalent flu vaccine (covering three strains of flu virus) will be available for anyone age 6 months and older. Since people age 65 and over tend to develop a less robust immune response, the high-dose or “enhanced” flu vaccine recommended for this age group will also be available.
Dr. Mason and several other physicians plan to continue a tradition of offering a free, hot breakfast scramble to people who come to the shot clinic. Members of local Boy Scout Troop 169 will help the PPG volunteers prepare and serve the food under the tent outside the MOB entrance.
Vaccination appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. To make a vaccination appointment, call 1-877-PPG-TODAY (877-774-8632). For individuals with healthcare coverage, insurance will be billed; otherwise, patients will be billed later for the shot fee. No payments will be collected during the clinic.
Guests should plan to dress appropriately to allow clinic volunteers easy access to their upper arm to administer the vaccination.
Anyone experiencing symptoms of illness is asked not to receive a vaccine until symptoms are no longer present.
Flu shot clinics are also being offered at other Parkview locations across northeast Indiana this fall. For a list of locations and hours, visit parkview.com/flu.