Moving forward
Impacting the future
In times of crisis, we look to our leaders. Our students are on the front lines, administering vaccines to eligible community members with the Central Michigan District Health Department. Faculty and staff have helped create a surveillance testing network, so we can know where outbreaks are happening sooner. As it became too dangerous for older community members to leave their houses, our students took health care to them in a safe and socially distanced environment. •
Our community of doers has gone above and beyond the actual virus and disease it spreads. Alumni have used the skills they learned at CMU to create virtual classrooms and led the way to a Super Bowl gameday like no other. They came together to support current students, surpassing Giving Tuesday fundraising goals by more than $100K because they know the value of a CMU education. Our students and faculty created transport medium, a liquid to help in the COVID-19 testing process. They found new ways to make masks that meet high filtration standards. And when an historic flood hit a nearby community, our students stepped up to help them, too. CMU Chippewas lead every day. We have taken the past year as a challenge to step up and help others. And we’ll continue to find new ways to help, because that’s what We Do. •
the road to administer vaccines to vulnerable Michiganders.
Vaccines hit the road University’s Mobile Health Clinic takes doses to rural Michigan communities One year since the first coronavirus case was reported in Michigan and just one week after administering the first vaccination at a university-run clinic on its campus in Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan University hit
Students, faculty and staff from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions at CMU took the Mobile Health Central vehicle to two rural Michigan communities — St. Louis and Edmore — to administer vaccinations to residents. Through the partnership with the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, more than 100 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were administered to vulnerable people age 60 and older. “Rural areas pose unique challenges for Michiganders to get their COVID-19 vaccinations,” said Helen Lee, Mobile
Health Central’s coordinator of community outreach. “This partnership with the MMDHD minimizes transportation barriers by going to the people.” While the goal of the mobile clinics is to protect the health and well-being of people living outside of the more populated areas of central Michigan, it also is an outstanding learning opportunity for future health care professionals. “This COVID-19 vaccination clinic is the ideal interprofessional education and practice endeavor for our students,” Lee said. “Various health professions programs came together as a team to administer COVID-19 vaccines to community members.” • Centralight Summer ’21
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