Chuck Dupwe was irritated when he read a story in The New Mexican on Saturday in which a Department of Health official said there's no shortage of the vaccine being used to guard against the H1N1 strain of influenza.

The 69-year-old Santa Fean, who suffers from asthma, said Monday he had tried in vain to get the vaccine just days before the story ran.

Dupwe said the Santa Fe County Health Office told him Dec. 20 or 21 that no vaccine was available for people in is age group at that time. "I asked her when," Dupwe said, "and she said 'hopefully in January.' "

Dupwe said he had tried to get the vaccine at Santa Fe Urgent Care on Dec. 19 after seeing an advertisement for a free shot clinic at the facility, but arrived an hour after the event's scheduled start to find a sign on the door saying all the vaccine was gone.

The disconnect between the information provided by the Department of Health and Dupwe's experience might have something to do with a change in the way the department distributes the vaccine.

Dr. Maggi Gallaher, medical director of the department's Public Health Division, said that when the vaccine began arriving from federal sources in October, department officials allocated it to the various health care providers based on whom they thought needed it most.

Just before Thanksgiving, Gallaher said, as supply increased and demand waned, she started getting calls from providers saying, "I don't want it, don't send it to me."

Retrieving unused vaccine from those who didn't want it was time consuming, Gallaher said, so she decided to have providers place orders for the vaccine telling her exactly how many doses, if any, they wanted.

Gallaher sent out e-mail notices to health care providers registered with the department informing them of the new protocol.

Unfortunately, not all of them got the memo. So while the department waited for providers to order the vaccine, some providers were waiting to see if they would be lucky enough to receive a shipment from the agency.

Joanna Anaya, operations manager of two walk-in clinics in Santa Fe — Santa Fe Family Health and Corazón Family Health — said one of the clinics got about 60 doses at the beginning of the flu season, but the other never got any. She didn't know that the clinics could order vaccine.

Dr. Richard Lieberman — who ran the shot clinic Dupwe attended after the vaccine had run out — said he didn't know about the change, either.

"I don't think they've been very clear about it," Lieberman said.

"In all fairness, I think they are doing the best they can," he said. "This is the first year we've had this (flu strain) and they (state Health Department) have been OK, but they haven't been super slick."

Gallaher said she'll continue to try to get the word out to providers that the vaccine is available now for all age groups and that an order form is on the department's Web site.

In the meantime, the Santa Fe Public Health Office and La Familia Medical Center both confirmed Monday that they have now have vaccine available.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.