Conducting mass H1N1 vaccination at Michigan State University (MSU)-one of the Big 10 universities-required thoughtful planning. A population of approximately 47,000 students, an unpredictable supply of vaccine, and national guidelines that changed frequently all contributed to a complex vaccine distribution strategy.
Vaccine Distribution
Savvy planning and resource use helped Pennsylvania State University (PSU) make the best of the challenge of holding mass vaccination clinics. A key part of PSU's success was including upper-level nursing students as vaccinators.
The nursing students were responsible for administering H1N1 vaccine on campus under the guidance of nursing faculty and with the oversight of the University Health Service (UHS) assistant director for risk management, clinical director, and infection control manager.
The University of Chicago needed to act quickly in late April 2009 when it discovered a Medical Center staff member was diagnosed with H1N1 as cases of the virus were appearing in California and Mexico. Lacking complete knowledge about the scope of the outbreak and the morbidity and mortality rate, Student Care Center (SCC) director Dr. Kristine Bordenave and other public health planners responded with a strategy to address this threat with limited resources to the large population of the University of Chicago campus.
Maps, guides, and arrows formed the basis of the University of Chicago pandemic flu vaccination distribution plan in April 2009. The plan driving the distribution was inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference". University public health planners used strategies from the bestselling book to maximize seasonal influenza vaccine distribution information.
During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, Purdue University developed and tested specific floor plans for designated Points of Dispensing (POD) sites on campus. According to Ron Wright, director of Campus Emergency Preparedness and Planning, "The draft plans were used as a guideline as they were a 'work in progress' at the time of the H1N1 pandemic. The plans were adjusted as needed and will be finalized with the next revision of our Integrated Emergency Operations Plan."
Since its creation in 2004, the University of Minnesota's (U of M) Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) has aided in emergency response and public health initiatives on campus and in the broader community. So it was not unusual when the campus health service requested MRC support for its H1N1 mass vaccination clinics.
After several walk-in clinics took place at the University of Minnesota, planners identified a need to regulate client flow and reduce wait times. Planners responded by quickly shifting to an online block scheduling system. The system allowed clients to register for a 15-minute block of time to receive a vaccination; within each time block, clients were vaccinated on a first-come, first-served basis. The system worked well.
Registering students, faculty and staff for vaccine clinics was a daunting task as colleges and universities responded to the H1N1 pandemic.
When H1N1 vaccine began to trickle in to the University of Iowa (UI) campus in fall 2009, the Student Health Service relied on a familiar resource to help vaccinate students. UI health sciences students, administering vaccine under staff supervision, formed a strong clinical and logistical foundation of the H1N1 vaccination campaign.
UI's nursing students have always helped with seasonal influenza vaccination clinics on campus, said Lisa James, RN, MSN, Interim Administrative Director, Student Health Service.
