TCUSD partners with TC Regional Health Care Center for mass vaccination drill
Annual preparedness exercise serves as reservation area disaster prevention model

From left to right: Vincent Shirley, TCRHCC Compliance Officer; Joseph Engelken, TCRHCC CEO; Shirley Peaches, TCRHCC Safety Officer; Pam James, TCUSD Support Services Administrative Asst.; Ron Begay, Construction Supervisor and Safety Officer for TCUSD. TCUSD and TCRHCC are the principal community partners for Tuba City and Hopi villages of Upper and Lower Mungapi in its annual mock disaster preparedness drill. This year, their safety team will participate in a mass flu vaccination exercise on Nov. 29 at the TC High Warrior Pavilion giving free flu shots from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Photo by Rosanda Suetopka Thayer/TCUSD)

From left to right: Vincent Shirley, TCRHCC Compliance Officer; Joseph Engelken, TCRHCC CEO; Shirley Peaches, TCRHCC Safety Officer; Pam James, TCUSD Support Services Administrative Asst.; Ron Begay, Construction Supervisor and Safety Officer for TCUSD. TCUSD and TCRHCC are the principal community partners for Tuba City and Hopi villages of Upper and Lower Mungapi in its annual mock disaster preparedness drill. This year, their safety team will participate in a mass flu vaccination exercise on Nov. 29 at the TC High Warrior Pavilion giving free flu shots from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Photo by Rosanda Suetopka Thayer/TCUSD)

TUBA CITY - For the past seven years, the Tuba City Unified School District (TCUSD) along with community partner, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation (TCRHCC) has staged a mock disaster drill each fall to prepare the Tuba City community along with the Hopi villages of Upper and Lower Mungapi for potential community-wide disasters with effective ways to address emergency situations that could adversely affect the Western Navajo Agency area.

These mock drills have featured community preparedness on bio-hazard spills, major storm damage, flooding, fire and multiple car accidents.

Each annual drill incorporates the services and skills of sixteen varied reservation area agencies, including the Hopi Tribe Emergency Services, Hopi Tribal Rangers, Hopi Police, Navajo Nation Police, Navajo Nation Rangers, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tuba City Boarding School, Greyhills Academy High School, Basha's, Tuba City Chapter, Office of Behavioral Health, Community Health Providers, Tuba City Fire Department, ambulance services and village administrations of Upper and Lower Mungapi.

This year, Nov. 29 from 7 a.m. to 12 noon at the Tuba City High School Warrior Pavilion wrestling room, TCUSD, TCRHCC and Navajo Area Indian Health Services will mobilize a mass flu vaccination.

The flu shot will be available free of charge to all area Indian Health Service beneficiaries during this mock drill.

For non-Native community members who would like to receive a flu shot during this exercise, the cost will be only $30, with 200 non-tribal vaccines available that day.

The flu vaccine that will be available to everyone during those hours at the Warrior Pavilion is considered 80 percent effective in preventing illness from influenza virus.

Even though some patients have experienced flu like symptoms after receiving the vaccine, these are less severe with complications less frequent.

All community members are urged to participate, particularly elders (55 years and older) and children (under the age of two) are the most susceptible to contracting influenza.

For more information, contact Shirley Peaches, TCRHCC safety officer at (928) 283-2802 or Ron Begay, safety officer for TCUSD at (928) 283-1142 or (928) 206-6017.

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