title: Successful use of volunteers to conduct school-located mass influenza vaccination clinics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the feasibility of using volunteers to assist in school-located mass vaccination clinics for influenza.
  
  
  METHODS
  A set of elementary school-based mass vaccination clinics was implemented in Carroll County, Maryland by the local health department in the 2005-2006 school year. In addition to using health department personnel, fiscal restraints necessitated using medical volunteers and lay volunteers to assist health professionals. The medical volunteers included physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, and were responsible for administering intranasal vaccine (live, attenuated influenza vaccine [LAIV]). We assessed the performance, as measured by the number of vaccinations administered, and effort expended by these volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5319 (44%) of the 12,090 elementary school children in the county received LAIV. Of the estimated 3547 (66%) children eligible and consenting to receive a second dose, 3124 (88%) received it. In total, 8806 doses of LAIV were administered. Health department nurses worked 42 person-days and were assisted by medical and allied health professionals volunteering 87 person-days without compensation, totaling 581 person-hours spent in this effort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A mass school-located influenza vaccination program using medical and lay volunteers guided by health department nurses is feasible. Several issues were identified to improve future clinics and help make the program sustainable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Ginny E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruff
authors.forename: Stephen H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hoffmaster
authors.forename: Larry L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Leitch
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007258:Informed Consent; D008396:Maryland; D032541:Mass Vaccination / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014838:Volunteers; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines