Through the efforts of Vaughan Regional Medical Center, the Dallas County Health Department received some much needed, and much appreciated, extra doses of the influenza vaccine.

Vaughan CEO Steve Mahan presented Ashvin Parikh, administrator of the county health department, and immunization nurse Denice Clark with 250 doses of the vaccine on Tuesday.

Zaneta Lowe, director of marketing and public relations at Vaughan, said the extra flu shots are left over from when all employees at the hospital received vaccinations.

According to Lowe, each dose normally costs about $7. &uot;This medicine has a shelf-life that expires at the end of March,&uot; Clark said. &uot;Since the hospital wasn’t going to use it, we are thankful they gave it to us.&uot;

This is the second donation of flu shots the county health department has received so far. &uot;I was able to pick up 30 doses in Montgomery last week, but this is the biggest boost we’ve gotten,&uot; Clark said.

With this donation, Parikh said the health department will have a walk-in flu clinic from 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

Lowe said this donation was a opportunity for Vaughan to give to a agency that really needed it.

Infection from flu viruses can result in severe illness and life-threatening complications.

For those who may not be able to come to the health department’s clinic, Parikh said citizens who have not been vaccinated may stop by during the week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The health department is located at 100 Samuel O. Moseley Drive.