Augusta University Health is expanding COVID-19 vaccinations — here’s how you can volunteer to help

With Georgia opening COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to everyone 16 and older, Augusta University Health aims to continue delivering thousands of doses each week through its community clinics.

AU Health plans to provide nearly 12,000 vaccines in the 10 days leading up to Masters Week, according to Dr. Joshua Wyche, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Planning & Pharmacy.

“Donations from the Augusta National Golf Club and the Community Foundation of the CSRA have helped AU Health establish a central vaccination site on Washington Road, as well as pop-up clinics throughout the region,” Wyche said. “Augusta University Health aims to honor that generosity by offering clinics as often as we can and as soon as we have the doses, but we simply cannot do it alone.

“Our AU Health staff and Augusta University students and employees have stepped up and volunteered their time to keep the clinics running at full speed. While we are thankful for the help of Jaguar Nation, we also need the support of the greater community to keep up the momentum as we vaccinate to save lives.”

Community volunteers can help at the clinics in the coming weeks and months as health care workers focus on providing patient care and students return to their hometowns for summer break. Clinical volunteers who can administer vaccines are especially needed.

“Volunteers are critical to ensuring that we can make our community healthier and safer, together,” said Kristina Baggott, Associate Vice President, Volunteer Services & Community Engagement at Augusta University. “Everyone is invited to join AU Health’s team of COVID-19 community vaccination clinic volunteers. Both clinical and non-clinical volunteers are needed to provide compassionate and inclusive service at the AU Health vaccination clinics.”

Volunteer roles include:

• Clinical volunteers, who are responsible for drawing up and administering vaccines during the vaccination clinics and must have one of the following medical designations: RN, LPN, CMA, MD, DO, NP, PA, RPh, PharmD, DD, DMD, Augusta University medical and nursing students.
• Non-clinical volunteers, who are responsible for greeting clinic guests, disinfecting high-use areas and managing patient traffic flow during the vaccination clinics.

“By volunteering, you are supporting the AU Health mission by freeing up our staff to care for critical needs patients in the medical center. Throughout the pandemic, our community has shown how much we care about one another, and we appreciate anyone who can give their time now as we work together toward a return to normal,” Baggott said.

If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, complete the AU Health COVID-19 Vaccination Volunteer application. This form will allow you to share your schedule availability and any special skills or certifications that may support this effort. Get more information and apply here.