ACU takes flu shots to residence halls to prevent flu outbreak on campus

As flu season approaches, ACU is taking preventative steps to keep the student body healthy with a coordinated effort of flu immunizations from the ACU Medical Clinic and the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing.

This effort is aimed at getting students immunized to prevent a widespread outbreak of flu on campus, said Michelle Drew, family nurse practitioner in the ACU Medical Clinic. Immunizations are being offered the next two weeks on Wednesdays and Thursdays in on-campus residence halls, as well as daily in the ACU Medical Clinic. This marks the first time ACU has brought flu immunizations directly to students living in on-campus housing.

"Close living quarters, classrooms and eating spaces make all infectious diseases easy to spread but especially respiratory illness like the flu," Drew said. "This fact has made those of us charged with meeting the healthcare needs of university students realize that we have to be not only reactive but proactive."

The flu shot is offered every year at the ACU Medical Clinic, but typically less than 10 percent of the student body come to the clinic to get the shot, Drew said.

"The ACU Medical Clinic decided to reach out to our partners at the Shelton School of Nursing to help broaden the areas we can reach and to use their expertise in community health to help overcome the obstacles that might prevent us from vaccinating every possible student," said Drew.

Immunizations in the residence halls will be administered by senior students in the community and public health nursing class from the Shelton School of Nursing under the supervision of their nursing faculty.

These students all receive hands-on clinical experience in childhood immunizations as juniors and are proficient in providing all types of injections by their senior year, said Alice Murphy, assistant professor of nursing in the Shelton School of Nursing.

"As community and public health students, they fully understand the impact of primary prevention and know that 'taking it to the streets' is simply good public health in action," said Murphy. "Taking the vaccines directly to students in their dorms is simply a premiere response, and the Shelton School of Nursing is tremendously excited to be a part of this effort."

The entire process of screening the student and administering the shot takes less than a minute, said Drew. The flu shot is only $15 for students and can be billed to their student account.

An anonymous donor has agreed to give $400 to the residence hall with the highest percentage of students vaccinated. The ACU Medical Clinic will be keeping records, said Dr. Ellen Little, physician and director of the ACU Medical Clinic, and students who come to the clinic after the vaccinations are given in the residence halls can still contribute to their residence hall's tally.

The Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing is operated as a consortium of ACU, Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University and is an academic unit of each university.

If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office or call (325) 674-2696.