The USF College of Public Health provided more than 1,200 free seasonal flu shots this year as part of its annual vaccination effort.

Mike Conway, recently retired USF campus police, gets his flu shot from nursing student Nereida Valle, with nursing student Alys Garcia in background.

Working in collaboration with the Hillsborough County Health Department (HCHD), the school’s clinical faculty and HCHD nurses provided 1,237 adults with their vaccinations against this year’s predicted influenza viruses (H1N1, H3N2, and B/Brisbane). The HCHD provided the clinical supplies and the vaccine, and the COPH purchased the vaccine from the health department as a public health service to the community.

COPH Global Health graduate student Elizabeth Helfert helps register.

In addition to the vaccinations, educational exhibits were provided, including information on flu prevention, food safety, cardiovascular health, Florida KidCare and Cover Florida, COPH student organizations, USF Health Service Corps, COPH and USF Health academic programs, and USF Health Physicians Group.

Seventy-one volunteers from throughout USF Health helped staff the drive.

“Thanks to all of the volunteers, more than 1,237 adults from USF and our local community benefited from the flu shot drive this year,” said Ellen Kent, MPH, student research grants coordinator and ERC coordinator at COPH and coordinator of the annual community service.

“And a special thanks to our wonderful student volunteers from the medicine and nursing who skillfully administered the flu shots; our COPH student volunteers who helped with the very important aspects of food, registration, greeting folks, parking, and health education tables; our PHSA leaders who ordered the cool t-shirts and refreshments; our  absolutely wonderful colleagues from the Hillsborough County Health Department who provided all clinical supplies and the vaccine; our wonderful USF Health clinical faculty supervisors, Kay Perrin, PHD, MPH, RN, and Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, and our Occupational Medicine residents;  our COPH Dean Donna Petersen and administration for supporting this annual event; and our entire USF COPH support staff.”

Story by Sarah A. Worth, photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications