Outreach by students and faculty from the 电子游戏软件 康奈尔护理学院 has 帮助 a Boston high school increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate among its student population from 50 percent to 82 percent since the start of the school year.
Leaders from 克里斯多雷波士顿高中, a coeducational Catholic school in Dorchester, met with Connell School Clinical Assistant Professors 凯瑟琳Conahan and 唐娜天玺 in mid-September to strategize on ways to increase the COVID vaccination rate among its 202 students. Only about 50 percent of the students—all of whom are eligible for at least one version of the vaccine—had gotten at least one shot.
The Connell School team (seated l-r): Sara Bowen, v黄平君, 艾米丽·鲍尔, Katlyn Noonan, Megan Fickes. (站在左至右):詹妮弗·施密茨, 凯特琳马丁, 香农·克罗利, 娜塔莉·达拉·里瓦, 凯瑟琳Conahan, 唐娜天玺, 西莉亚Jotte, 诺拉·马基, 还有Brandon Onyechefule. Not pictured: 伊丽莎白纤毛 and 特里斯坦Louria. (凯特琳Cunningham)
The first step involved sending a letter from CRB President Rosemary J. Powers and Principal Thomas Ryan to all the parents/guardians urging them to get students vaccinated. A mobile vaccination clinic was scheduled at the school, giving students convenient access to vaccines. 然后, Conahan enlisted undergraduate and graduate students from the Connell School to take part in a vaccine education campaign for CRB students and their parents/guardians in advance of, 在那天, 诊所.
学生 in Cullinan’s Population 健康 Practice in the Community class—graduate student Brandon Onyechefule and seniors 香农·克罗利, 娜塔莉·达拉·里瓦, 西莉亚Jotte, 特里斯坦Louria, and 诺拉·马基—came into the CRB classrooms and conducted Q&与学生的会议. CSON students also talked one-on-one with CRB students and parents/guardians who had concerns.
The COVID vaccination campaign was supported by additional outreach and education conducted by Conahan and the Connell School students who regularly staff a primary care clinic at CRB, including master’s program student Megan Fickes ’18 and doctor of nursing practice students Sara Bowen, 艾米丽·鲍尔, 伊丽莎白纤毛, v黄平君, 凯特琳马丁, 卡特琳·努南，17岁, 还有Jennifer Schmitz.
The efforts paid off: As of October 22, 82 percent of the school’s student population is fully vaccinated or have received at one dose of the vaccine.
“There is a ton of misinformation out there,科纳汉说, a nurse practitioner who graduated from BC in May with a doctor of nursing practice degree, part of the Connell School’s first DNP graduating class. “Our role was to listen, explain, and not to shame. Many guardians had understandable concerns, but talking with a trusted health care provider, 在一个方便的环境中, 帮助. We were happy to have the conversation.”
She noted that the outreach was also helpful for CRB students who, due to transportation or other logistical barriers, had not gotten their second vaccine dose, 让他们没有完全接种疫苗. The on-site clinic and electronic guardian permission slips addressed those obstacles.
“The COVID vaccine effort has truly been a game-changer,鲍尔斯说。. “Achieving an 82 percent vaccination rate among students and 100 percent among staff is just incredible. We are deeply grateful to the 电子游戏软件 nurses.”
“我们真的改写了剧本, and now it is considered ‘cool’ to have gotten vaccinated,科纳汉说.
The Connell School started its partnership with Cristo Rey Boston in the fall of 2020. 不像许多公立学校, Cristo Rey Boston was open for in-person learning throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. Conahan operates a primary care clinic at CRB two days a week and is regularly joined by one or two DNP students. 他们进行体检, which allows students to participate in sports, and also offer emergency care when needed.
“Partnering with the 电子游戏软件 康奈尔护理学院 throughout the pandemic has been invaluable in terms of helping us meet the needs of our students,鲍尔斯说。. “Many of our students do not have consistent access to health care, so the in-school clinic 帮助 us safely stay open throughout 2020-2021.”
"The 康奈尔护理学院 partnership with Cristo Rey High School is truly one of the silver linings of the pandemic,CSON院长凯瑟琳·格雷戈里补充道. “We look forward to continuing to evolve this partnership, which gives the students of Cristo Rey greater access to health care and our nursing faculty and students access to a school-based clinical practice setting. Improving COVID vaccination rates is just one of the many health outcomes that we can achieve together.”
“I love it at Cristo Rey,科纳汉说. “We are both Jesuit schools, and it makes sense for 电子游戏软件 to be here.”
Kathleen Sullivan | University Communications | November 2021