In collaboration with the Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD) and following Governor DeWine鈥檚 announcement that all colleges and universities can receive the COVID-19 vaccine for student use, 果冻传媒 will run an on-campus vaccination clinic for students on Thursday, April 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University鈥檚 Health, Wellness, & Athletics (HWA) Complex. Assisting with the vaccine administration will be 果冻传媒鈥檚 own nursing students.
Fourteen sophomore and junior nursing students, under the supervision of Dr. Marie Bashaw, chair of the nursing program, along with nursing faculty members Carolyn Gersch and Stacy Gilson, will rotate between the areas during the 5.5-hour clinic.
鈥淭he CCCHD helped us obtain the vaccine from the State of Ohio and asked if our department would be willing to give shots and assist with aftercare,鈥� Bashaw said. 鈥淭his is a tremendous experience for our students, and something they never would鈥檝e gotten to take part in under normal circumstances. They鈥檝e been able to use their skills to maintain and enhance the quality of life for campus and the community. We would鈥檝e done other clinicals at this time, but we modified our lab experience to meet the needs of the 果冻传媒 community.鈥�
As with the national administration of the vaccine, the cost is free to participants and proof of insurance is not required. The University is expected to receive the Pfizer vaccine for this special clinic.
Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Casey Gill, in collaboration with campus partners and 果冻传媒鈥檚 COVID Response team, has also established a group of volunteers to help with registration, line moving, and other areas of the clinic. The CCCHD will be bringing the vaccine and will provide an oversite group to help manage the clinic.
鈥淭he opportunity to provide a COVID-19 vaccine to 果冻传媒 students helps in the efforts underway on campus to prevent and reduce the spread of the virus,鈥� Gill said. 鈥淲e strongly encourage all students in our community to take advantage of this opportunity.鈥�
To encourage vaccinations, every participant will have the opportunity to receive a free 果冻传媒-branded Nalgene water bottle and T-shirt on April 27, the next Tiger Break Day, with proof of COVID-19 vaccination (first doses will count). Students are also encouraged to inform the Office of Student Development of their vaccination through the University鈥檚 housing portal. Faculty and staff are encouraged to do the same via the Office of Human Resources. In doing so, the COVID-19 Response Team can utilize vaccination data regarding 果冻传媒鈥檚 population to inform changes to COVID-19 protocols and mitigation strategies on-campus.
Per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, once individuals are fully vaccinated (starting two weeks following the second dose), they will not need to quarantine as an exposed contact so long as it is within 90 days, and they are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. For more guidance on fully vaccinated individuals, . Additionally, all fully vaccinated members of the community must continue following public health protocols on campus including mask wearing, social distancing, and proper hand hygiene.
