Hampshire College Held Free On-Campus Vaccine Clinics
On Sunday, April 25, Hampshire College held its first no-cost COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Robert Crown Center, open to all enrolled students and current employees. Both appointments and walk-ins were accommodated. On that day, 234 individuals were vaccinated.
A second clinic took place on Sunday, May 16, just after Commencement, so that participants from the first clinic, as well as those who had received a first dose of Pfizer vaccine elsewhere within the appropriate time window for efficacy, could receive their second dose. This assured that students could be fully vaccinated before departing campus for the summer. A total of 189 vaccines were administered during the second session.
While current students and employees were given priority, enough doses of the Pfizer vaccine were available that the College was also able to extend the invitation to family members of the Hampshire community. Medically qualified staff organized by Hampshire’s Health Services director administered the shots on site and numerous campus employees assisted with welcoming, registration, clean up, and monitoring recipients for after effects.
Students who were vaccinated on May 16 also self-administered their end-of-semester departure COVID-19 tests at the clinic. Hampshire was pleased to be able to offer the campus this free and convenient option to help keep our community—and the wider world—safer from Covid-19.
Hampshire is pleased to have pledged to be part of the COVID-19 College Vaccination Challenge, an initiative by the White House to ensure that young people join their parents and grandparents in getting vaccinated. Doing so is critical to saving lives and returning the country to a state of normalcy.