Drive-up flu shot clinic serves 650
Get Immunized, Idaho, hosted a drive-thru flu shot clinic on Saturday, October 3, from 10am to 5pm. Approximately 650 people received flu shots, including Idaho Governor Brad Little and First Lady Teresa Soulen Little, who were first in line.
Flu shots were available to anyone over six months of age (the insurer was billed when applicable). Get Immunized, Idaho is a team of parents, community members and experts whose mission is to create a healthy Idaho through immunizations. ISU students from the College of Pharmacy, School of Nursing and Department of Physician Assistant Studies were on hand to administer the shots, direct traffic and screen for COVID-19.
“We are in the middle of a pandemic and staying as healthy as possible is more important than ever. The flu is the deadliest vaccine preventable illness in the U.S., and everyone is at risk,” said Karen Sharpnack, Executive Director of the Idaho Immunization Coalition. “This clinic is an easy and free way for people to protect themselves, their families, and their communities from the flu.”
“We are excited to partner with the Idaho Immunization Coalition in order to provide flu shots for so many people in the Treasure Valley. The College of Pharmacy at Idaho State University has a long-standing tradition of supporting the communities where our campuses are located by offering flu shots, diabetes and heart disease screening, cholesterol checks and more to over 12,000 people per year.” Walter L. Fitzgerald, Jr., BPharm, MS, JD, Dean for the College of Pharmacy at Idaho State University. “Student pharmacists value opportunities to practice these skills, not just to bolster their educational outcomes, but to promote the health and well-being of their fellow community members as well. Operations such as this drive-up clinic that include both the experiential learning component and opportunity to improve public health allow for students and citizens to mutually benefit.”
“We are proud to participate in an endeavor of this magnitude to immunize in the state of Idaho. Not only will so many receive a flu shot, which will aid in slowing the spread of influenza in this particularly critical year, but students are also afforded the hands-on opportunities they need to become caring and competent pharmacists, PAs and nurses,” said Rex Force, PharmD, Senior Vice Provost and Vice President for Health Sciences at Idaho State University. “Additionally, knowing that we are prepared to stand up a drive through vaccine clinic and scale to serve the citizens of the state of Idaho is an important part of our educational service mission at Idaho State University. Planning and preparing for events such as this one, allows us to extend that mission further, into the rural and urban communities we serve.”
The flu shot clinic is made possible thanks to these incredible sponsors; Saint Alphonsus, the Idaho Immunization Program, Albertsons, Idaho State University Kasiska Division of Health Sciences, and the Idaho Immunization Coalition.
