Student Health and Counseling has started their annual vaccination clinic, which has been happening since at least 1998. While it has previously only included the annual influenza vaccine, this year’s clinic is now offering the new COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccination clinic makes getting vaccines more accessible for students by providing 15-minute slots for appointments held on campus in the Great Hall as an alternative to going to a pharmacy. “The goal of the annual vaccine clinic is to provide easy access to seasonal immunizations for our campus community. The annual campus clinics provide an opportunity for our community to obtain these vaccines in a convenient location and time frame for those who want them,” Maggie Prunty, the infectious disease lead at SHAC, said.
This year’s vaccine clinic hours are being held on six separate dates over the course of three weeks, including the following upcoming dates:
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m. — 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 11:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.
To reserve a date and time, go to the “Immunizations and Vaccinations” page on the SHAC website.
SHAC’s annual and smaller, monthly vaccine clinics are part of a partnership with Minnesota-based organization Homeland Health. “Homeland Health supplies the immunizations, nurses and registration staff for these events. Carleton helps to organize the times, location and set-up for the clinics,” Prunty said. This partnership ensures that students are able to keep up-to-date with vaccinations while being away from their regular providers.
Carleton and SHAC are committed to continuing this clinic service in order to protect the health and safety of the campus community. “Science continues to support the use of vaccines as a primary prevention strategy to avoid or lessen future illness from influenza or COVID-19. Having ready access to these vaccines increases the likelihood that our community will remain protected from these illnesses, which keeps everyone healthier,” Prunty said. Students can expect to see additional information about vaccine clinics every fall.
The logistics of the event can get complicated as campus offices must work hard to serve anticipated crowds of more than 1,000. “It takes thorough planning and communication to ensure things proceed smoothly. The involved parties on-campus include Student Health and Counseling, Security Services, human resources, facilities, auxiliary services, and custodial staff. These groups help to ensure adequate dates and space are available, set-up and tear-down of the Great Hall occurs efficiently to allow for other events and that Homeland Health staff are able to operate as planned,” Prunty said.
Besides vaccine clinics, SHAC provides other infectious disease support. For example, there have been free COVID tests in dorm vending machines for students’ use. “SHAC also has testing capabilities for the most common infectious diseases that we see on campus, including COVID-19, influenza, mononucleosis, strep throat and sexually transmitted infections. We maintain close relationships with local healthcare providers if something falls outside our scope or ability to treat,” Prunty said.
SHAC keeps in close contact with many public health offices to ensure that the Carleton community is able to stay healthy and receive the resources needed to do so. “Due to the close living environment on residential campuses, illnesses can spread quickly. Therefore, being vaccinated is an important layer of protection. Herd immunity is important… the more individuals that are vaccinated on our campus, the better it is for everyone,” Prunty concluded.