Thursday, students and faculty lined up at the ARCH building for the first of three flu clinics sponsored by Student Health Service.
Nine-hundred and sixty-five flu vaccines were administered, which was much higher than anticipated, “especially on a rainy day,” according to SHS Public Health Section Manager Sharon McMullen.
SHS Public Health Outreach Coordinator Raina Vyas said the clinic was sponsored by 12 groups on campus.
As a member of alpha Kappa Delta Phi, a sorority that sponsored the event, Wharton junior Cindy Ju promoted the clinic outside of the ARCH throughout the afternoon.
Although she had never before received a flu vaccine at Penn, her sorority’s involvement encouraged her to participate this year.
“It helps more girls get vaccinated who otherwise would probably not have,” Ju said.
College sophomore Gemma Lenowitz — a member of Alpha Chi Omega, another sponsor of the clinic — found the process, including registration and vaccination, to be “very efficient.” According to McMullen, “the average turn-around time … was well under 10 minutes.”
The team administering vaccines included three SHS nurses, a primary-care provider, a women’s-health provider and two School of Nursing seniors. Volunteers from the Masters of Public Health program, the health and societies major and the Medical Emergency Response Team assisted in pre-screening and supplies management, McMullen said.
“They were essential to our success and, in return, they got valuable hands-on experience in public health,” she wrote in an e-mail.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.