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Background: Dispensing and administering H1N1 immunization to citizens has been a planning and logistical challenge. Faculty and staff from the University of Louisville (UL) Department of Environmental Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and School of Nursing were asked by the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMDPWH) to assist with a community-wide H1N1 immunization event aimed at administering injectable and intranasal vaccine to high risk groups of adults and children. UL was responsible for planning a ten lane drive-thru option and LMDPHW responsible for a walk-up option with a public transportation component.
Setting: This event was the first community offering of H1N1 vaccine for citizens in
Population: High risk adults and children in Louisville KY metro area.
Project Description: Planning for the event collaboration began when notice was provided that sufficient doses of vaccine would be available for a community event and there were eleven planning days between the date of notice and date of the event. Planners from UL and LMDPHW began immediate work using a unified command process. Modeling and simulation allowed visualization of the processes during the planning and implementation phases. On November 11-12, 2009 a community-wide H1N1 immunization point of dispensing (POD) was held and consisted of walk-up and drive-thru options.
Results/Lessons Learned: During the event, a total of 19,079 vaccines were administered with 12,613 (66.1%) being administered via the drive-thru. Planning incorporated a wide array of volunteers and community services with broad-based community engagement and demonstrated that an immunization approach utilizing varied access capabilities can be implemented quickly, safely and successfully.
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