PHOENIX, AZ — Parents looking to get their children's vaccinations up to date can get free childhood immunizations through the Phoenix Fire Department's Baby Shots Immunization Program.
The program provides vaccinations at no cost to eligible children through the federal Vaccines for Children program. August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and the Phoenix Fire Department is encouraging parents to check their children's vaccination records and make sure they are up to date.
Children eligible for the program include those covered by AHCCCS or Medicaid, children enrolled in KidsCare, children who are uninsured, and American Indian or Alaska Native children.
The program is available to children from birth through age 18 who meet at least one of the eligibility requirements on the day they receive a vaccine.
Parents should bring their child's immunization records to the clinic. The Fire Department recommends calling 602-534-BABY (2229) before visiting to confirm clinic times and locations.
The Baby Shots program offers immunizations required for day care and school entry and protects against 13 serious childhood diseases, according to the Fire Department. Those include measles, mumps, rubella, polio, hepatitis A and hepatitis B.
The program operates at multiple locations around Phoenix, including community centers, schools, hospitals and shopping malls. Clinic hours can include weekends and late weekday afternoons to accommodate working parents.
The federal Vaccines for Children program provides vaccines at no cost to eligible children who might otherwise go without vaccinations because of an inability to pay. The program was implemented in 1994 as part of the federal Childhood Immunization Initiative.
Phoenix Fire Department members developed the Baby Shots program after identifying low childhood immunization rates in Arizona, according to the department.
The program has expanded from an initial special immunization event to seven regular clinic sites over the past five years, according to the department.
The Fire Department cautions that Baby Shots employees may temporarily close the phone line during advertised operating hours while they vaccinate people already waiting at a clinic.
Parents can call 602-534-BABY (2229) to confirm the latest clinic schedule before heading out.
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