A COVID-19 vaccine clinic held on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus on Saturday, January 16, vaccinated approximately 600 people. The vaccines were given to UH health science faculty, staff and students who provide direct patient care or are considered post-secondary essential workers and first responders. UH hosted the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Point of Distribution (POD), which also serviced some K–12 frontline essential workers, including school nurses and those caring for medically fragile students.
“UH health science faculty from the UH Mānoa, UH Hilo and Kapioiʻlani Community College organized quickly with DOH to deliver the vaccine to frontline essential worker students and faculty while providing valuable clinical learning experiences for our students,” said Mary G. Boland, UH Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene dean. “POD clinics are a multifaceted, complex operation that demonstrate the importance of interprofessional education, teamwork and collaboration. Our students are getting real-time education in pandemic preparedness and disaster response.”
The event was coordinated by the UH Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, John A. Burns School of Medicine and the UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, in partnership with the DOH and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. Volunteers staffing the event represented coordinating UH departments, Hawaiʻi state agencies, the Hawaiʻi Medical Reserve Corps, and faculty and students from Kapioʻlani CC health science departments.
- Related UH News story: President Lassner: Vaccination planning underway, January 14, 2021
This effort is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Enhancing Student Success (PDF), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
