Public health officials are urging Islanders to participate in a free, Islandwide flu clinic that will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The clinic will take place in the regional high school performing arts parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is available to all Islanders free of charge. Insurance is not required; however those with insurance are encouraged to bring their cards or information.

“We won’t be turning anyone away,” hospital CEO Denise Schepici said in a press briefing Wednesday morning.

The clinic, organized through a partnership between the Island boards of health, Island Health Care and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, is modeled after post-9/11 disaster preparedness drills and will be used as a test of Island emergency readiness. The clinic is using two staging areas: one at Waban Park in Oak Bluffs, the other at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. The actual clinic site will use existing infrastructure from the TestMV coronavirus testing site at the regional high school.

In an interview with the Gazette, Tisbury health agent Maura Valley stressed the importance of flu shot recipients arriving first at one of the staging areas before heading to the high school. Patients will register at one of the staging areas and then get funneled to the high school in order to avoid traffic log jams.

Ms. Valley requested that patients fill out registration and vaccination consent forms before arriving at the staging area. The forms are available on town websites and at town halls.

Staging areas open at 8 a.m. for registration. Ms. Valley said the process should move quickly if individuals have their paperwork filled out beforehand. All participants will be given a sticker for their windshield at the staging area before getting sent to the high school.

Access to the high school will be through Sanderson Road, with signs available and written directions distributed at the staging areas.

Although there will be a walk-up option for individuals without cars, Ms. Valley strongly encouraged those who could drive to do so for weather reasons. The entire clinic will occur outside because of the pandemic.

“It’s rain or shine,” Ms. Valley said.

The flu clinic will not have high-dose flu vaccines, which are recommended for patients 65 or older. Individuals needing a high-dose vaccine should check with their primary care physician or area pharmacies to determine the availability of the high-dose vaccine.

But Ms. Valley did expect a large number of families with school-age children to take advantage of the clinic, and emphasized that confirmation of the vaccine for any child who gets vaccinated Saturday would get sent to their Island-based pediatrician and school by organizers. Gov. Charlie Baker has required that all school-age children receive a flu vaccine by Dec. 1 if attending in-person learning.

Island boards of health have procured approximately 1,250 doses for the clinic, which Ms. Valley said she hoped they would be able to go through in the four-hour event. Approximately 750 of the shots were donated by the hospital, while the boards of health purchased the remaining vaccine from distributors.

Ms. Valley emphasized the importance of getting a flu shot this season, especially with the pandemic still raging across the country and the Island seeing its first surge in case coronavirus case numbers.

“It’s especially important this year,” the health agent said. “Trying to figure out, if it’s flu, if it’s Covid . . . if you have a bad flu season, in the midst of a pandemic, it’s really a nightmare scenario.”