SIUE Host Site of COVID Vaccine Clinic for Faculty, Staff and Students
The Madison County Health Department will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 21 in the Student Fitness Center on the Edwardsville campus. Appointments are available for the Pfizer vaccine, and are open to SIUE faculty, staff and students ages 16 and older.
“We value our partnership with the Madison County Health Department (MCHD), and appreciate the opportunity to host a vaccine clinic on our Edwardsville campus,” said SIUE Health Service Director Riane Greenwalt. “Hosting this clinic on campus will allow many faculty, staff and students to receive both doses of the Pfizer vaccine prior to returning to their hometown, enjoying the local community or embarking on safe travel this summer.”
Pfizer is an mRNA vaccine and is considered 80% effective after the first dose. The completed series, including two doses, offers more than 90% effectiveness for prevention of infection.
SIUE School of Pharmacy Associate Dean Jessica Kerr, PharmD, emphatically recommends receiving the vaccine. She notes that vaccines are an important way to prevent the transmission and decrease the severity of the COVID virus and related hospital stays.
“As a practicing pharmacist and professor in the School of Pharmacy, I am thrilled about the opportunity for our students to receive the vaccine on campus, and to potentially complete the vaccination series just after finals week,” Kerr said. “This action will lead to a greater campus population becoming fully vaccinated by the end of May.”
College student personnel administration graduate student Lindsy Perry received the Pfizer vaccine.
“I got vaccinated so I can help us get back to normal, and to protect my family and friends,” Perry said.
SIU System Student Trustee Jacob Graham, a senior economics and management double major, plans to get his vaccine on campus.
“Receiving the vaccine will help me do my part in keeping my community and myself safe,” he said.
Senior early childhood education major Avalyn Mosby is getting vaccinated for the protection of herself and her community.
“I chose to get the Covid-19 vaccine because I will be in contact with various children and their families; therefore, I want to protect the students, their parents, as well as myself,” Mosby said. “The vaccine will give me added protection to safely visit my family in Illinois and travel to Texas to see my grandpa. Thank you to Health Service and the Madison County Health Department for providing this on-campus clinic.”
School of Nursing Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs Ann Popkess, PhD, RN is grateful for SIUE’s partnership with the MCHD in providing the on-campus clinic.
“Vaccination of our campus community means we can continue to offer in-classroom teaching experiences, utilize our School of Nursing Simulation Learning Lab to its fullest capability and continue to provide clinical patient experiences in our partner agencies,” Popkess said. “All of this supports our mission to educate exceptional nursing graduates at SIUE.”
First dose appointments for the Pfizer vaccine will be available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 21. To make an appointment, visit https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/3hw7x/.
Second dose appointments will be available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, May 12. Students who are unable to schedule their second dose at the SIUE clinic and need assistance in scheduling a second dose in their home area should connect with SIUE Health Service via CougarCare@siue.edu for direction and assistance.
Complete details related to the on-campus vaccine clinic, including requirements and health advisories, are available at siue.edu/coronavirus in the Campus Updates & Status section.
Photos: College student personnel administration graduate student Lindsy Perry received the Pfizer vaccine.
SIUE School of Pharmacy Associate Dean Jessica Kerr, PharmD, gets vaccinated.
SIUE student Jacob Graham plans to get the vaccine during the on-campus clinic on April 21.
Senior Avalyn Mosby is getting vaccinated for the protection of herself and her community.
