Reflecting on Arcadia Unified's COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
Nurses from Arcadia Unified's Health Services Team
(Photos courtesy Erica Newkirk)
Since Nov. 30, 2021, Arcadia Unified School District Nurse Manager Erica Newkirk and her team have hosted a total of six vaccination clinics at three different Arcadia Unified school sites, vaccinating nearly 1,500 people.
The Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) opened up full-time, in-person instruction on Aug. 11, 2021, which proved to be no small feat. With waxing and waning surges of COVID-19 cases occurring throughout L.A. County over the past few years, bringing back all students to classrooms posed some understandable anticipation and worry. Tackling the spread of this virus while finding ways for in-person instruction to happen safely has been a hefty task and would be difficult for Arcadia Unified to accomplish without the support and expertise of its Health Services team, which is led by Newkirk.
Staying updated on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) health orders, advocating for the health and safety of the district, contact tracing, arranging for testing support, and finding pharmacy partners to co-host vaccination clinics once COVID-19 vaccinations became available for students are just a few of the many tasks Arcadia Unified’s Health Services team carries out in support of student, staff, and family health and safety.
It was at the beginning of Feb. 2021 that Newkirk and her team had their first opportunity to begin planning for the possibility of hosting vaccination clinics within AUSD.
“We are very fortunate because the Albertsons/Vons Pharmacy team actually reached out to us to discuss a possible partnership, given that they have a pharmacy located within the city, and a number of our families, staff, and community members are patrons there,” shared AUSD District Nurse Manager Erica Newkirk on how planning for COVID-19 vaccination clinics came to be.
After the local Albertsons/Vons Pharmacy reached out to them, Newkirk worked with Arcadia High Principal Angela Dillman and her team of administrators to reserve spaces on the Arcadia High campus to host its first vaccine event.
“We asked for volunteers among administrators, staff, and parents, and wrote up detailed descriptions of responsibilities,” said Newkirk. “We even arranged for several of our LVNs [Licensed Vocational Nurses] to be on-site to help in the observation area and to respond should an individual experience an adverse reaction to the vaccine.”
Once formulating a strategic plan, Newkirk was tasked with preparing instructions for students and families who were interested in getting vaccinated.
Principals, parents, staff, administrators, and board members have helped in Arcadia Unified's Vaccination Clinic efforts
(Photo courtesy Erica Newkirk)
“Students and families needed to use a unique sign-up link in order to make an appointment for the clinic,” explained Newkirk “Our clinics are by appointment only because the pharmacy has to determine how much vaccine to bring to the clinics, and any unused doses at the end of the day need to be discarded.”
In addition to making appointments, families had to sign an informed consent form, and while health insurance was not required to qualify for a free vaccine, that information was requested if available.
One of the major concerns surrounding these clinics was that it might result in the gathering of large groups of people, which meant meticulous planning to ensure the health and safety of all members who participated in these clinics. As such, Newkirk and her team all ensured all of the LACDPH’s safety measures and protocols were adhered to during these clinics. Additionally, according to Newkirk, all individuals attending the vaccine clinics were required to perform a Health Screening prior to entry.
“We encourage[d] physical distancing, provide[d] ample opportunities to perform hand hygiene, and require[d] masks,” Newkirk added.
Arcadia Unified’s Health Services team now requires all clinical volunteers to either provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or present a negative COVID-19 test obtained within seven days of the event since a corresponding LACDPH mandate went into effect in Oct. 2021.
“Each clinic has included the COVID-19 vaccine, but we have included other vaccines as well, for example, the Tdap and Varicella vaccines during our Middle School Vaccine Clinic at Dana Middle School, and the Seasonal Flu Vaccine during the Fall Vaccine clinic at Arcadia High School (AHS),” shared Newkirk.
After hosting its Pediatric Vaccine Clinic at Camino Grove Elementary School on Nov. 20, 2021, the Health Services team got to work on prep for the second dose of the Pediatric Vaccine clinic that was held on Dec. 11, 2021. Along with the hard work put in by Arcadia Unified’sHealth Services team, these events required the support and volunteerism of many faculty members and teachers.
“Mrs. Newkirk and her team have done so much to support all of us during this time, so when she asked for volunteers, I was happy to lend a helping hand,” said Andrea Mendoza, AUSD Coordinator of Instructional Integration.
Although these clinics are held for several hours to accommodate the large student populace, Mendoza shared that the volunteer time was very manageable.
“There are usually two shifts to select from to volunteer, explained Mendoza. “The first shift begins at 7 AM and ends at 11:30 AM, while the second shift begins at 10:30 AM and ends at 3 PM.”
Arcadia High teachers and administrators smiling at the Help Desk Station during the Vaccination Clinic at Arcadia High School
(Photo courtesy Erica Newkirk)
While volunteers have had many different stations to help out with, Mendoza was tasked with working in a station that involved greeting and welcoming families to the clinic.
“I helped check in families by reviewing their paperwork,” said Mendoza. “The families moved through the stations pretty quickly, and once the students received their vaccinations, they stayed in a designated area to be observed for a designated amount of time. The entire process was pretty efficient.”
Echoing Mendoza, Arcadia High Junior Phoenix Chen also thought the clinics were very efficient.
“I thought that the process was really structured and all I had to do was wait in line until it was my turn to get the vaccine shot. I just needed to bring my health screening form results and paperwork to show to the volunteers to get processed through,” Chen recalled.
Both Mendoza and Chen have agreed that they felt comfortable despite being surrounded by many people.
“Mrs. Newkirk and her staff did a great job of ensuring that everyone was safe during the clinics, Mendoza remarked. “People wore their masks, hand sanitizers and wipes were available as needed, and any tools used were wiped clean after each use.”
Chen added, “The thought of getting infected never crossed my mind when I was there. The process was organized and coherent so nothing about it really worried me.”
Thinking back on the clinics, Mendoza felt increasingly thankful for Newkirk and her team.
“They have done a phenomenal job in making these vaccination clinics efficient and convenient for our families,” reflected Mendoza. “I appreciate the work that our health team has done in keeping us informed regarding public health guidelines, and I also appreciate their efforts in providing the vaccination clinics to our families on top of everything else they are doing to keep our students and staff healthy this school year.”
Perhaps the most important for Newkirk was the service that these clinics provided for others.
“Ultimately, the goal of school nursing is to help students and families attain and maintain good health so that they may receive maximum benefit from their educational experiences. Hosting these vaccine clinics has been a fantastic opportunity to help families better access health care services. We’re optimistic that we will be able to continue our partnership with Albertsons and maybe even expand on it so that we are able to offer more health care services to students and families in the future.”
For more information about the 2021-22 COVID-19 updates and resources at Arcadia Unified School District, visit www.ausd.net/apps/pages/2021-22COVID19UPDATES. To contact AUSD school and district nurses, visit www.ausd.net/apps/pages/HealthServicesContact.