BC's Student Health & Wellness Center to Host Pop-up Vaccine Clinics Throughout Summer
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Following the overwhelming success of its past vaccination efforts, both on campus and throughout the community, Bakersfield College's Student Health and Wellness Center in collaboration with the college's nursing students will continue to hold vaccination events throughout the summer. Currently over 15 dates are scheduled at various locations across Kern County. These clinics have been made possible thanks to a number of partners including the Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force, Centric Foundation, Upside Productions, Kern County Veterans Service Department, City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, the Hindu Temple of Kern County, Mercado Latino, Mayor of Arvin Olivia Trujilo, KGET 17, Telemundo, and Governor Newsoms office.
The clinics are open to the public and BC is encouraging all those who wish to be vaccinated to make an appointment to receive any available vaccines. Appointments can be made on the MyTurn website.
“Providing students, friends, families, and neighbors with an easy sign-up process, familiar community locations, and at no cost was really important to BC's vaccination clinic team and our nursing students,” said Dr. Nicky Damania, Director of Student Life at BC. “As long as there is a need, BC's team will be there so that we can beat COVID. As we approach the reopening of California, I encourage everyone to do their part and get vaccinated for your safety and for our community.”
In addition to the various community pop-up clinics, the college's Student Health and Wellness Center is administering the Moderna vaccine on-campus every Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Johnson and Johnson Janssen vaccine every Thursday between 9:00AM and 3:00PM. Each of the community pop-up clinics may distribute different vaccine brands, which are detailed per event in the list below and/or on the college's webpage.
Since last spring, Bakersfield College has made a concerted effort to not only provide vaccines, but also distribute trusted information, COVID-19 testing, and provide learning opportunities for the community, free of charge, throughout the pandemic. The college's Public Health program even offered non-credit contact tracing courses, so that individuals throughout the community could follow up on positive cases in the early months of the emerging pandemic.
Bakersfield College's Rural Health Equity and Learning (HEAL) Collaborative also joined together with universities and other community partners, including UC Merced to form an alliance aimed at better understanding the experiences of Latinx individuals throughout the Central Valley regarding COVID-19 prevention and vaccinations. The group worked to better understand where at-risk populations were getting their information, and worked to ensure information being distributed was accessible, understandable, and trustworthy.
“The development of highly effective and safe vaccines against Covid-19 is an unparalleled success story undergirded by pioneering and robust science. Humanity is indebted to the miracle of science that will deliver us from this plague” said Chairman of Centric Health, Dr. Birjesh Bhambi. “We are in a good place, but we still have a way to go when it comes to raising our vaccinated numbers. I am so thankful to BC's team, especially the nursing students who have given so much of their heart and time to these efforts.”
UPCOMING BC POP-UP VACCINE CLINICS:
● Tuesday, June 1 - Emmanuel Lutheran Church (1900 Baker St.)
● Saturday, June 5 - Bakersfield College Main Campus (1801 Panorama Dr.)
● Thursday, June 10 - The Hindu Temple of Kern County (67 Valley View.)
● Friday, June 18 - Mercado Latino (2105 Edison Hwy.)
● Monday, June 21 - Bakersfield College Delano Campus (1450 Timmons Ave.)
● Monday, June 23 - Kern County NOR Veterans Hall (400 Norris Rd.)
● Tuesday, June 29 - Emmanuel Lutheran Church (1900 Baker St.)
● Monday, July 8 - The Hindu Temple of Kern County (67 Valley View.)
● Saturday, July 10 - Bakersfield College Main Campus (1801 Panorama Dr.)
● Friday, July 16 - Mercado Latino (2105 Edison Hwy.)
● Monday, July 19 - Bakersfield College Delano Campus (1450 Timmons Ave.)
● Monday, July 21 - Kern County NOR Veterans Hall (400 Norris Rd.)
● Saturday, August 7 - Bakersfield College Main Campus (1801 Panorama Dr.)
