Marshall County Health Department
Marysville, Kansas
For the 2008 election season, Vote & Vax built a network of providers across the United States who organized and ran flu clinics at polling sites on or around Election Day. With support from the national Vote & Vax program, healthcare providers in 42 states and the District of Columbia operated a total of 331 clinics and delivered a total of 21,434 flu vaccinations. For many providers, such as the Marshall County Health Department in Marysville, Kansas, participating in Vote & Vax 2008 was a chance to continue the success they had in 2004 and integrate the program into their regular public health practice.
Back for Round Two
For Sue Rhodes, the Administrator at the Marshall County Health Department, Vote & Vax has become a regular part of the job. Sue had just joined the department when they were gearing up to participate in the first Vote & Vax multi-state pilot initiative in 2004. As part of that effort, Marshall County held three flu shot clinics at polling sites. This election season, Sue was determined to expand to all six polling sites in the county. Due to her successful experience with the program in 2004, it wasn’t hard for Sue to build support within her organization. She made the case simply: “I said it was going to be fun and different. It’s introducing an innovative concept to the public.”
Creative Use of Resources
Leading up to Election Day 2008, the department raised public awareness about Vote & Vax in Marshall County and encouraged residents to participate in the program. Drawing on a strong relationship with a community newspaper, the Health Department was able to promote Vote & Vax in the local press every few weeks leading up to Election Day. Sue also used the promotional materials provided by the national Vote & Vax program to distribute flyers and posters at libraries, town halls, and businesses. Several of these businesses donated the use of their digital billboards to promote the clinics. The clinics were also featured on local news and radio stations. All of this creative outreach paid off: many who received vaccinations commented on how visible the program was in the community - and it didn’t cost the Health Department a dime!
“That is Progress in My Book”
When working at the clinics on Election Day, Sue heard only positive feedback from flu shot recipients, staff and volunteers. Many remarked on the accessibility of the polling places, the convenience of getting a flu shot on site, and that the concept of “one trip for two things” was fun and efficient. Sue also found that the timing of Election Day worked perfectly as a public health strategy. Even though in some years flu vaccines become available in early October, many people in her community prefer to wait to get their shot. This made November an ideal time to offer vaccinations to the community.
After participating successfully in two cycles of Vote & Vax, Sue definitely believes the program is valuable. “I believe that many people who had never before received a flu shot got one because they could vote and get vaccinated at the same place,” Sue said. As she looked back at her experience, she contrasted her participation in the 2004 and 2008 programs. “We did this in 2004 when we had limited supply of vaccine - and we were only at three sites. In 2008 we established six sites and gave 592 shots. That is progress in my book.”