Flu on Call helpline: Six week pilot program in Milwaukee Co. ends February 19th

MILWAUKEE – The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) has announced that Flu on CallTM, a toll-free helpline providing information and medical advice about flu, will end its six-week pilot project in Milwaukee County on Friday, February 19th.

The helpline will continue to take calls until 7:00 p.m. on February 19th. Area residents who dial Flu on CallTM after that time will be directed to other local sources of information and care.

Flu on CallTM launched on January 12th as part of an initiative led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to test the operations of a network of call centers staffed with information specialists and medical professionals that would be used during a severe pandemic. The service is not expected to be used routinely for seasonal flu.

“Residents in the project area have reported a high level of satisfaction with the information and advice they received when dialing Flu on CallTM,” said Commissioner of Health Bevan K. Baker. “The lessons learned from the project will guide emergency preparedness and response planning for health departments around the country. The City of Milwaukee Health Department is proud to take a leadership role in the development of Flu on CallTM.”

The MHD was selected as one of two locations nationwide to pilot Flu on CallTM by the CDC, in collaboration with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and United Way Worldwide.

Locally, the project was conducted in partnership with IMPACT Inc., the local provider of 2-1-1 services, as well as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Poison Control, local health departments, health centers, vaccine clinics, schools and more.