There’s now an easy map for finding flu shots in Philadelphia

Want a free or low-cost flu shot, but not sure where to find one? Problem solved.

Inspired by a similar effort in Chicago last flu season, Philadelphia’s chief data officer, Mark Headd, imported the idea to the City of Brotherly Love.

Earlier this year, Philly’s Office of Innovation and Technology proposed a way to standardize flu shot location data, getting San Francisco and New York City (coming soon) to sign onboard.

But what was previously developer-friendly data is now a user-friendly map.

The goal is to raise awareness around the availability of flu shots in Philadelphia, Headd told NewsWorks. Nationwide, influenza and pneumonia was the eighth leading cause of death in 2011, claiming 53,667 lives, according to CDC data.

Philadelphia’s map — hosted on the city’s GitHub page — displays city-run health centers, federally-qualified health centers, churches, nonprofits, pharmacies, even the Mexican Consulate.

You can check it out here.

We’ll have more on this story in an upcoming episode of The Pulse.