Nursing Students and Employees Assist with Vaccination Event
For many area residents who attended a COVID-19 vaccination event Jan. 30, it was the first time they had been out in public for months.
That includes East Central College Vice President of Academic Affairs Robyn Walter’s mother. Walter inoculated her mother during the vaccination event at the Union Municipal Auditorium.
“For a lot of people, it was the first time they were out of the house in months,” Walter said. “We had husbands and wives asking us to take a picture to send to their grandchildren who they have not seen in person for months.”
There were 20 second-year ECC nursing students who volunteered to assist with the event that was hosted by the Franklin County Health Department (FCHD). Nursing program faculty members, ECC nursing graduates and Walter also were on hand to help.
“I am extremely proud of our faculty for teaching the students, and of the students’ zeal and passion,” Walter added.
According to Nancy Mitchell, director of nursing and dean of health science, there were more than 1,000 vaccinations given that day, and each of the nursing students was given a chance to administer the vaccinations.
“The Franklin County community witnessed the ECC nursing program at its finest,” Mitchell said. “Current student nurses, past graduates, faculty and administrators assisted in efforts to vaccinate 1,000 county residents.
“We felt privileged to participate and care for our community,” she added.
Mitchell said ECC students and employees will again assist with the second round of vaccinations Feb. 27.
During the Feb. 1 ECC Board of Trustees meeting, trustees who were at the event praised the ECC employees and students and noted how seamless the vaccination event was.
‘We are a community college in every sense of the word,” added ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer. “I am glad that our faculty could be there with our students.”
Graduates
According to Mitchell, there were many ECC nursing program graduates who assisted as part of their current roles with health care partners in the area.
That includes registered nurses Megan Horstkamp and April Zimmermann who work as public health nurses for the FCHD and helped coordinate the event.
“The ECC Nursing program is extremely proud of these graduates who are working on the front lines as public health nurses in Franklin County. We saw them at their finest hour,” Mitchell said.