Key Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing School Located Vaccination Clinics for COVID-19 and Influenza: Roundtables with School Nurses and Immunization Programs
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Key Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing School Located Vaccination Clinics for COVID-19 and Influenza: Roundtables with School Nurses and Immunization Programs

Published: Jan 02, 2022
Publisher: NASN School Nurse, vol. 37, issue 1, supplement
Health COVID-19 Foundations State and Local Research and Evaluation
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Authors

Erin Behrmann

Olivia Kenney

Maggie Magee

Key Findings
  • Partnerships are crucial to SLV success, taking pressure off school nurses who face competing demands and often have limited capacity to single-handedly manage SLVs.
  • Participation in SLVs increases when it is promoted by a trusted source like a school nurse, parent, or student peer.
  • Sharing information with families is a key tenet of both increasing vaccine confidence and increasing SLV participation. When schools did not actively work to engage families, SLVs reported lower participation.

School-located vaccination clinics (SLVs) are an established strategy to offer influenza and routine vaccinations and improve student and community health. The COVID-19 pandemic has led many communities to expand SLVs to include COVID-19 vaccines. However, these SLVs are less documented than in the past due to the fast-paced nature of the pandemic and the additional pressures put on schools and public health organizations. We conducted five virtual roundtables with 30 school nurses and state immunization program managers from across the United States to gain insight into SLVs occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Roundtables explored participants’ experiences planning and implementing SLVs, including factors influencing success and available resources. Findings highlighted SLVs as an opportunity to increase access and equity for vaccines. Participants shared strategies for SLV funding, partnership building, vaccine storage and management, consent, data sharing, messaging, and promotion. These shared experiences offer useful insights for those interested in future and sustained SLV implementation.

Reviewers:

Katelyn Wells, Elizabeth Clark, Carol Walsh, Mackenzie Melton, and Emily Less

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