It hasn’t received much notice, but volunteers are playing a critical role in the nation’s vaccine rollout.
While doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers can serve as vaccinators, prior medical training or certifications are not required to staff other positions at community clinics.
If you have time, consider signing up to help vaccinate your neighbors at a local COVID-19 vaccine clinic. They’ll provide everything you need: on-site training along with masks, gloves or any other required PPE.
Volunteers support the registration process by assisting patients with paperwork, answering general questions, and uploading data. Additional responsibilities may include directing traffic, enforcing social distancing, and managing the flow of patients through the facility. Volunteers restock supplies, sanitize areas, and monitor patients for post-vaccination side effects.
Employers of all sizes are stepping in to help vaccinate America. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina offers up to 40 hours of PTO for employees to volunteer at a vaccine site. In Illinois, more than 500 volunteers from AbbVie will help vaccinate some 11,000 people over 11 days at the Lake County Fairgrounds community vaccination site. And in Arizona, Amazon employees spent over 2,000 volunteer hours supporting registration, supply, traffic coordination, and post-vaccination observation at a drive-through clinic that’s expected to serve up to 150,000 local residents.
Check out the volunteer site for your state if you’d like to be part of something rewarding and important to our recovery from the pandemic.
