Local flu clinic has international scope
Starting October 24, nearly 200 students from the Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medicine will be administering free flu vaccines to the public at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne campus and the University of Winnipeg. The clinic will also be offered on October 25, 31 and November 1 to 4 and it’s hoped that over 1,500 individuals will be immunized.
Who: Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medicine students
What: Flu vaccination clinics
When: October 24 & 25 (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
October 31 (noon – 3:00 p.m.)
November 1 -4 (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
November 3 (8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
Where: University of Winnipeg, Riddell Hall (Oct. 24 & 25)
University of Manitoba, Room 156 Apotex Centre, 750 McDermot Avenue (October 31)
University of Manitoba, Second Floor, University Centre (November 1 -4)
University of Manitoba, Skills Lab, Room 211 Basic Medical Sciences Building, 727 McDermot Avenue (November 3)
Influenza is a viral infection that hospitalizes 10,000 Canadian every year with many other succumbing to the illness. Vaccination protects not only the individual from contracting influenza it also protects members of the public who are at risk like the very young, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
This will be the first year that pharmacy, nursing and medicine students will be collaborating interprofessionally at these vaccination clinics. Interprofessional healthcare preceptors from medicine, nursing and pharmacy are also volunteering their time as supervisors.
According to Dr. Dana Turcotte, Instructor, College of Pharmacy, this year’s clinic is providing more than just flu vaccinations at the local level.
“This year at our largest outreach initiative at the University of Winnipeg we will be donating five dollars for every influenza vaccination given to UNICEF to fund vaccination efforts in developing countries,” Turcotte says. “Our goal is to provide a convenient, safe and comfortable environment in order to encourage as many individuals as possible to be vaccinated and – as an added bonus – those being immunized will be helping to increase vaccine accessibility to those in developing countries around the world.”