The Landscape of State and Local School-Located Vaccination Clinics: Practices, Policies, and Lessons Learned for Providing COVID-19 and Routine Vaccinations
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Key Findings
- Schools are uniquely positioned within their communities to know which families may have the highest need for vaccination. SLV organizers used this knowledge to remove access barriers and provide culturally competent vaccine interventions.
- Partnerships are key to providing sufficient resources for an SLV. Local health systems, national pharmacy chains, and local health departments provided staff hours, procured vaccines, and supported school nurses implementing SLVs.
- Conducting COVID-19 SLVs may have further built-up local capacity for SLVs more broadly. The partnerships established with health systems and pharmacies could be leveraged for SLVs focused on “catching up” childhood immunizations that were missed during the pandemic.
For decades, school-located vaccination clinics (SLVs) have successfully offered influenza and routine childhood immunizations that have contributed to lowering the morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases. These SLVs laid the foundation for state and local health departments and school districts to quickly implement SLVs in response to COVID-19. To support school nurses and immunization programs in implementing future SLVs during the COVID-19 pandemic, we explored the landscape of SLVs between August 2019 and late summer 2021 using publicly available information from school and health department websites, news articles reporting on SLVs, and internal documents provided by school nurses and immunization programs who hosted SLVs. Our scan identified variability in the reach, scope, and approach to SLVs, but consistent themes persist such as the importance of partnerships and SLVs as an opportunity to promote equitable access to vaccinations. Useful documents and resources for planning and hosting SLV clinics were compiled into a table. With COVID-19 vaccines and boosters now available to all school-age children, SLVs provide an even greater opportunity to improve school and community health. The included resources are designed to provide support for those interested in SLV implementation.
Reviewers:
Katelyn Wells, Elizabeth Clark, Carol Walsh, Mackenzie Melton, and Emily Less
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