Green Bay, Wis. – Prevea Health and HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s, St. Nicholas and St. Clare Memorial Hospitals 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 local communities.

“Just as vaccination is the most effective tool in preventing the spread of COVID-19, it is the most effective tool in preventing the spread of flu,” said Dr. Ashok Rai, President and CEO, Prevea Health. “Getting vaccinated for both these highly infectious diseases is the one of the most important steps you can take for your health, the health of your loved ones, and the health of your communities.”

Appointments for flu vaccines are now available at Prevea Health locations across Northeast Wisconsin, including the Greater Green Bay, Lakeshore and Northern regions. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (888) 277-3832 or through the MyPrevea patient portal at myprevea.com. Flu vaccine clinics with extended evening and weekend hours are also available. For more information, please visit: www.prevea.com/flu

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). 

Currently, and like many other hospitals across the state, HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s, St. Nicholas and St. Clare Memorial Hospitals are at near capacity due to widespread COVID-19 and Delta variant infection, as well as other medical conditions that require hospitalization.

“COVID-19 and the Delta variant are already putting a tremendous burden on our communities and hospitals,” says Dr. Sarah Lulloff, infectious disease physician and Medical Director of Infectious Disease for HSHS hospitals in Eastern Wisconsin. "Other respiratory viruses, including RSV and parainfluenza virus, are also making a large number of vulnerable patients, from newborn infants to the elderly, sick. With influenza virus season ahead, we urge you to not only get vaccinated for COVID-19 but for the flu as well. This will protect the health and well-being of our communities and help keep our hospitals and health care providers from becoming too overwhelmed."  

Flu shots are especially important for young children, pregnant women, people age 65 and older, and people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, or heart and lung disease.

Prevea Health also provides COVID-19 vaccination at locations across the state, at no cost. For more information on COVID-19 vaccination with Prevea Health, please visit:  www.prevea.com/vaccine

About HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center
HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center have been delivering quality health care to Green Bay and its surrounding communities since 1888. With HSHS St. Vincent being the largest tertiary care hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s location on Green Bay’s west side, patients from Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan benefit from a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, emergency and trauma care, preventive care across the lifespan, digestive health, orthopedic, cardiac care, neurosciences, rehabilitation and pediatrics. Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospitals primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of competent and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. Both hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

About HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital
HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital has been delivering high quality health care to Sheboygan and its surrounding communities since 1890. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital provides a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, 24-hour emergency care, digestive health, orthopedics, cardiac, home health and hospice care. The hospital’s primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of high quality and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.  An affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. To learn more, visit  www.stnicholashospital.org.

About HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital serves Oconto Falls and the surrounding communities as a federally-designated critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department, urgent care, general, vascular and orthopedic surgical services, inpatient and outpatient surgical and diagnostic services, rehabilitation, oncology outpatient clinic and women’s care. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, in affiliation with Prevea Health, has six regional health center locations in Gillett, Lena, Mountain, Oconto, Oconto Falls and Suring. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Pharmacies are located in Gillett and Oconto Falls. Founded in 1921 as Community Memorial Hospital, in 2014, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital became the fourteenth hospital in Hospital Sisters Health System. As an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. For more information about St. Clare, visit www.stclarememorial.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 15 Local Systems and physician practices in 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. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org.  For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.

About Prevea Health
Founded in Green Bay, Wis. in 1996, Prevea Health is a health care organization that provides high-quality, primary and specialty health care in 80+ locations across Northern, Eastern and Western Wisconsin in clinic and hospital settings. It is partnered with six Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) hospitals across Wisconsin to provide patients a system of highly-coordinated care, close to home: HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay; HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan; HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls; HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire; and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. For more information, visit www.prevea.com.