Volunteers needed for vaccination exercise

ASU will conduct a mass vaccination exercise across three campuses to simulate a real-world scenario in a flu pandemic or other health emergency.

The vaccination exercise March 15 and 18 with small groups of volunteers at each campus will give members of ASU’s Pandemic Flu Executive Committee a good indication of how a real mass vaccine effort would work on the four campuses. Members of the Pandemic Flu Executive Committee address issues associated with the flu from varied areas of the university such as research, public safety, students, faculty and communications. They meet on a regular basis to implement pandemic plans and address flu strains that have the potential to affect the university on a widespread basis.

“By doing this simulation exercise, we are testing our ability to get medications or vaccinations out to a community of 69,000 students and 13,000 faculty and staff in an expedited fashion," said Dr. Allan Markus, co-chair of the ASU Pandemic Executive Committee. "Lessons we have learned from vaccination during the H1N1 outbreak will be put to the test during this simulation.”

Workers simulating a mass vaccine effort March 15 and 18 will work with groups of about 20 volunteers at each campus as they handle drive-through and walk-up “patients,” direct traffic and hand out medical forms to be filled out, review forms for patient safety and consent, “vaccinate” and distribute “medications” and serve as managers of the event and runners.

Student volunteers are needed to act as patients. Although they won’t be receiving real vaccines, students who participate in the exercise will be served a free lunch and receive a $15 gift card from the ASU Bookstore.

Students or staff who receive permission to participate from their supervisor may register with Donna Estabrook by emailing donna.estabrook@asu.edu or calling 480-965-8343. Volunteers for all four campuses are needed, and will need to provide their own car on the day of the exercise.  Information and instructions will be distributed to all volunteers on March 12.

The mass vaccination simulation at the Polytechnic campus will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 18, at the Union Annex and Annex Street.

For more information about pandemic flu, go to www.asu.edu/pandemic.

Julie Newberg, julie.newberg@asu.edu
(480) 727-3116
Office of Public Affairs