Chelsa Everley, R.N., gives a flu shot to Jerry Michael Howard at a special vaccine clinic under the Jefferson Street bridge led by students from the schools of Medicine and Nursing. In the background is the line for the Salvation Army’s soup wagon. (photo by Joe Howell)
Students take the fight against flu to the streets
On a recent Friday night, under the wide expanse of the Jefferson Street bridge in downtown Nashville a fold-out table lit by the headlights of nearby cars was the scene of a rare opportunity for the city's homeless.
A vaccine clinic, led by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and School of Nursing students, brought vaccines to the homeless where they all too often eat, sleep and live.
The clinic was basic, but thorough.
A medical student in a short white coat approached those waiting in line at the Salvation Army's soup wagon. Information papers about each vaccine, weighed down by rolls of tape against the brisk breeze, covered one end of the table, while nurses sat by a series of folding chairs at the other.
Jerry Michael Howard, who said he has been living in Nashville since being displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, stepped up to be the first vaccine recipient of the night.
“It's a great idea for people who are living on the street. We don't have a choice and this environment can be tough on your health,” said Howard.
Chelsa Everley, R.N., a student in the Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, gave Howard his first immunization, while first-year medical student Anupam Kumar filled out the required health information forms. Kumar said the experience is exactly what Vanderbilt students are looking for.
“It's hard to process the environment that many people live in, so coming out to a common gathering spot under a bridge reminds us about the population we want to serve, and reminds us why we are here,” Kumar said.
Nani Kalama, another vaccine recipient, said this helps people who are homeless see that they are not forgotten.
“My life might be on the street, but I care about my health. There are so many things we are exposed to out here, this is great. Coming out here helps keep homeless people healthier,” Kalama said.
Nani Kalama receives a flu shot from Jennifer Prager, R.N., at the special clinic held under the Jefferson Street Bridge downtown. (photo by Joe Howell)
Volunteers working the Salvation Army's soup wagon agreed wholeheartedly.
“We've been offering this soup wagon for seven years now, and the need gets greater every year,” said Mike Servais, resource director at the Salvation Army, who has worked closely with VUSM at the student-run Shade Tree Clinic for years.
“This clinic is such a strategic service to the homeless. To think that they can get this type of medical care — and to think they can get it under the bridge — it's critical,” Servais said.
The students will be back under the bridge and at other locations until their supply of flu shots — 1,400 vials — runs out.
“We received $14,000 from the Boulevard Bolt for flu vaccines, so that is our main offering. We were also recently authorized to distribute TDaP (tetanus/pertussis vaccine) and Pneumovax (pneumonia vaccine), provided for free from the Metro Health Department, so we are offering those tonight too,” said Ravi Patel, a second-year medical student and a student-director of the Shade Tree Clinic.