UK College of Nursing Volunteers Assist at Kroger Field Vaccination Clinic
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 4, 2021) — About 115 University of Kentucky College of Nursing faculty, staff and students volunteered their services at the UK COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Kroger Field on Saturday, Feb. 27. The volunteers enabled the clinic to offer expanded Saturday hours and an increased vaccination capacity by about 1,000 people. This was the final week of a five-week volunteer effort from UK's health care colleges to extend clinic hours from noon to 6 p.m. each Saturday.
The UK Kroger Field COVID-19 vaccination clinic operates from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Overall, UK HealthCare has vaccinated more than 62,000 people including frontline health care workers, first responders, teachers and school personnel.
“For many people the COVID-19 vaccine is not simply a shot in the arm, but it is an overwhelming sense of relief, a feeling of security and a sign of better days ahead,” said UK College of Nursing Dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing Janie Heath. “From day one, our College of Nursing faculty, staff and students stepped up to volunteer at the Kroger Field Vaccination Clinic and we are immensely proud to continue to support UK and UK Healthcare’s vital mission of vaccinating Kentuckians against COVID-19 and restoring hope to our community.”
Faculty, staff and students from the college participated by serving in roles for everything from immunizers to wayfinders. To date, the college has had more than 450 total volunteers at the clinic.
For more information on how to register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine:
A signup tool has been developed where you will answer screening questions and then be invited to consent to be vaccinated, according to the state’s prioritized guidelines. The signup is available here.
For questions about this process, you can call 859-218-0111 or email vaccine@uky.edu. A list of current information and frequently asked questions is available at go.uky.edu/vaccine.
UK HealthCare is following Kentucky’s phased plan. Kentucky and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have directed that vaccinations be offered in the following phases:
- 1A: Long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, healthcare personnel.
- 1B: First responders, anyone age 70 or older, K-12 school personnel.
- 1C: Anyone age 60 or older, anyone age 16 or older with CDC highest risk C19 conditions, all essential workers.
- 2: Anyone age 40 or older.
- 3: Anyone age 16 or older.
- 4: Children under the age of 16 if the vaccine is approved for this age group.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.