A second clinic is scheduled for the College of DuPage on Dec. 12. The clinics are specifically for people in the high-priority groups:  pregnant women, those who live with or care for infants younger than six months, health care and emergency medical personnel, anyone between six months and 24 years old, and those aged 25 through 64 with certain chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system.

Vaccinations are free, but appointments are required and may be made by calling the hotline at 1-866-311-1123 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Callers may expect to get a busy signal and are encouraged to call during off-peak hours. I called repeatedly for an appointment for my kids three weeks ago and eventually got through about 1 a.m. It pays to be a night owl when the H1N1 vaccine is at stake.

The good news is that the health department has steam-lined the vaccination experience. Our appointment was for last evening at the Lombard clinic and we arrived to find various stations at which we filled out the necessary paperwork and waited briefly for the vaccination.

The health department only had FluMist available at the time I called, which was fine by my cowardly children. By the time we arrived, shots were again available and I was thrilled to get one.

All told, a very painless process.

I’ll admit to having some misgivings about getting the vaccine in place of others of higher priority, but when the clinic staff offered, I gratefully accepted, particularly since I have gimpy lungs and already missed the seasonal flu shot this year. However, today I’m feeling guilty.

“Our goal is to distribute H1N1 vaccine as quickly as we can to reduce and prevent disease activity,’ said Maureen McHugh, executive director of the county health department.

Eventually, the government has promised to make the vaccine available to every American who wants it. More information is available through the county health department’s influenza hotline at 630-221-7600 or at www.protectdupage.org.