The state’s annual flu vaccination initiative for students kicked off Monday, with a pledge that the program — in danger of being discontinued because of funding issues — will be around for at least one more year.

Several private health insurance organizations stepped up to keep the Department of Health’s "Stop Flu at School" program alive, donating about $780,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions. The donations, coupled with a small federal grant, will fund the program next school year.

This school year the program is being funded almost exclusively with federal grants, some of which are expected to dry up. The loss of the federal grants had DOH officials worried the program would have to be shut down.

Stop Flu at School — the nation’s only statewide school-based flu vaccination program — was started in 2007 and has annually held flu shot clinics at more than 330 Hawaii public and private schools.

The program administers free flu vaccines to children in kindergarten through eighth grade, with their parents’ permission. Last year the effort served about half of the kids statewide in the 5- to 13-year-old target group.

"This is public health in action," said Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist.

Some 68,924 students got vaccinated for the flu last year through the program, down slightly from the 2009-10 school year, when 71,392 got the vaccine. The decline in participation was due in part to fewer schools hosting clinics: 331 signed up last year, from 342 the year before.

This year, 334 schools have signed up to participate, while an estimated 73,000 students have turned in forms to get the free influenza vaccinations.

The program costs about $1.8 million each year.

Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz attended this year’s first Stop Flu at School clinic Monday at Kuhio Elementary, and got his annual flu shot. He called the program essential to helping keep "our children healthy and in school."

When federal funding for the program appeared to be in danger earlier this year, the state reached out to health care plans for help. Members of the Hawaii Association of Health Plans agreed to pitch in funding after being shown how many of their members were getting flu shots at schools.

Park said insurers have long recognized "the benefit of the program," given the number of students vaccinated through the program. If those children had to go to medical clinics to get flu shots, "it would mean their sick kids would be competing for clinic time with the healthy kids."

Hawaii News Now video: School flu program gets much-needed shot in the arm