West Virginia University has been awarded $25,000 to help cover the cost of its H1N1 outreach efforts.
The grant, which will partially reimburse the University’s expenses, was awarded by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education and West Virginia Bureau for Public Health.
During the epidemic, WELL WVU’s Student Health distributed hand sanitizer around campus; advertised in newspapers, the football stadium and buses around town; held flu clinics where it provided free seasonal flu vaccinations and H1N1 vaccinations; purchased health services equipment for the vaccination clinics; and, with the help of Dining Services, provided meals to students who were isolated in their rooms while sick.
“Influenza is a major cause of sickness, missed classes and death. Because of these outreach efforts, we kept a lot of faculty, staff and students in school,” said Jan Palmer, director of WELL WVU’s Student Health. “There were some who missed classes, but I am not aware of any that could not complete a semester.”
Only one WVU student was reported hospitalized as a result of the H1N1 influenza and there were no deaths.
The grant funding was made possible by a grant to HEPC from the West Virginia Public Health Bureau’s Division of Threat Preparedness through a federal appropriation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WVU was among 15 other state colleges and universities awarded grant funding for H1N1 outreach efforts.
For more information on WVU’s student wellness efforts, visit http://well.wvu.edu .
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cd/02/04/10
CONTACT: Jan Palmer, WELL WVU
304-293-2311, Jan.Palmer@hsc.wvu.edu