'That's A Great Idea': Sac State Poised To Be Potential Site For Vaccine Distribution
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – With the right freezers to store a COVID-19 vaccine at the required sub-zero temperatures and nursing students trained to administer vaccines, Sacramento State University could be one of the first spots where you can get a COVID-19 vaccine.
It's a major undertaking at Sac State as they prepare for the arrival of the vaccine.
It takes a lot for such a large distribution, as people are expected to line up to get vaccinated, but the university has been preparing to possibly be a point of distribution for months now. We talked with people who live in the area and are ready to have the vaccine in their backyard.
"I think that's a great idea. I think the more distribution of the vaccine, the better," said Sac State alum Mara Ponce. "The better we're going to be able to recover from this more quickly."
Ponce is proud her school could be a part of history, now poised to serve as an M-Pod - or Medical Point of Dispensing – for the COVID-19 vaccine.
"We are so ready for this to be over and whatever we can do to facilitate moving it out the door, we're happy to be part of that effort," said Janet Dumonchelle, pharmacist-in-charge at Sac State.
The university is one of several local sites Sacramento County Public Health is considering as a pop-up clinic to distribute the vaccine to large numbers of people.
"[That's] really good because I would like to get one," said Olivia Fountain, student.
More from CBS Sacramento:
- Former EDD Employee In Roseville Charged In California's Unemployment Fraud Investigation
- California Inmate, James Odle, Dies Naturally After 37 Years On Death Row
- Sacramento United Way Receives $10 Million Donation From Billionaire Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
The University already did several test runs using the M-POD model dispensing flu vaccinations in the fall - with nursing students administering flu shots to hundreds of people.
"The more that we can have appropriate ways to disseminate the vaccine and having public health initiatives where people have ready access to it, the better off we're going to be," Sara Barnhard said.
At this point, there's no timeline or final decision as to whether Sac State will be distributing the vaccine to the public. But if selected, Sac State will be the site of a drive-through clinic, in a part of the campus that can accommodate six lanes of traffic for mass immunizations. They also have plans to host walk-in clinics.
