News Article Appointments Required for COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics on Campus: January 22, 2021
Appointments Required for COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics on Campus
Jan. 22, 2021
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Only eligible employees with appointments will be allowed to participate in COVID-19 vaccination clinics on the University of Arkansas campus. All others will be turned away. This includes the university's initial vaccine clinic scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 23.
How Does the Appointment Process Work?
Following Arkansas Department of Health guidance to prioritize the order of who should receive the limited number of vaccines, the university is currently reaching out to eligible employees in a prioritized manner based on the individual's age to determine interest being vaccinated. The university is passing that information on to the pharmacy conducting the vaccination clinics on campus to schedule appointments.
Who Will Contact Me Regarding Appointments?
U of A Emergency Manager Matt Mills is currently reaching out to eligible employees via email and in a prioritized manner based on age regarding the upcoming mass clinic on campus.
For future vaccination opportunities on campus, eligible employees can expect to hear from either Human Resources or U of A Emergency Management.
Employees will be given a deadline to respond so that for expediency, we can move onto the next eligible group and ensure we fill all available appointments. Those who do not repond may be contacted again for future clinics, or removed from consideration if requested.
Please do not forward your invitation to others.
When Will I Be Asked to Set up an Appointment?
U of A Emergency Management is currently reaching out via email to eligible employees in the 65+ population first to see if they would like to be vaccinated. Once those individuals have been given time to respond, Emergency Management is moving on to reach out to younger populations of eligible employees until all available appointments are filled.
Please respond by the deadline so that we may move on to other groups as quickly as possible.
If I Don’t Receive an Appointment Request This Time, Will There Be Other Clinics on Campus?
Yes. The university is working to schedule additional mass vaccination opportunities on campus. Those details will be communicated as soon as they are finalized—early next week. Scheduling clinics is contingent on vaccine supply and pharmacies don't expect to receive updates on additional vaccine supplies until early next week.
Please remain patient as it will likely take several weeks to vaccinate all those who are eligible and wish to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as a part of Phase 1-B of the state's vaccination plan. There isn't currently enough vaccine available for all who want to receive it.
What Happened to the Appointment Link Announced Previously?
Originally, the pharmacy conducting vaccination clinics for the university contemplated creating a link for eligible university employees to sign up for an appointment, but due to the large number of U of A employees, those plans had to be revised. So a link will not be provided at this time.
Instead, the university is currently reaching out to employees individually in a prioritized manner by the individual's age and passing that information to the pharmacy for scheduling appointments.
Can I Seek COVID-19 Vaccination Off Campus?
Yes. Eligible higher education employees are included as a part of Phase 1-B of the state's vaccination plan, so eligible U of A employees can seek to be vaccinated at any participating pharmacy or provider.
The ADH provides a map and searchable list of pharmacies providing vaccinations across the state.
In addition, the university is working to help vaccinate as many eligible employees as quickly as possible by hosting mass vaccination clinics on campus.
What Do I Need to Take to a Vaccination Appointment?
Those with appointments to receive the vaccine from eligible providers, including mass vaccination clinics, must bring the following for verification (those without an appointment will be turned away):
- University photo identification
- Insurance card
- Driver's license or other form of photo identification
- The individualized letter from the university recently emailed to employees
If I Have an Appointment, Can I Also Bring Family Members?
No. Only eligible, active employees with appointments may receive the vaccine on campus at this time. Retirees and family members of employees are not eligible for vaccination at mass vaccine clinics on campus.
Where Can I Find Updates Regarding COVID-19 Vaccinations On Campus?
The vaccine portion of the Spring 2021 COVID-19 Response Guide will continue to be updated with the latest information throughout the semester.
Information about additional mass vaccination opportunities on campus will be communicated directly to eligible employees as soon as those details become available.
Will Pat Walker Health Center Provide COVID-19 Vaccinations at Some Point?
Pat Walker Health Center has applied for approval to be a COVID-19 vaccination provider. Until that approval has been received from the Arkansas Department of Health, eligible employees can check with area pharmacies to see if they are accepting vaccination reservations or take advantage of one of the mass vaccination clinics being scheduled on campus by appointment only.
Who Do I Ask if I have Questions About This Process?
If you have questions or need further information regarding the vaccination process or anything pertaining to COVID response, please contact hrassist@uark.edu.