HomeHealth Visiting Nurses
Saco, Maine
For the 2008 election season, Vote & Vax built a network of providers across the United States who organized and ran flu clinics at polling sites on or around Election Day. With support from the national Vote & Vax program, healthcare providers in 42 states and the District of Columbia operated a total of 331 clinics and delivered a total of 21,434 flu vaccinations. For many providers, such as the HomeHealth Visiting Nurses in Saco, ME, holding flu clinics at polling places was an opportunity to witness election history and to give back to their community at the same time.
An Innovative Strategy
In spring of 2008, Community Health Program Supervisor Cathy Patnaude was weighing her options for fall flu shot clinics. She was looking for new, non-traditional methods to deliver flu vaccines and extend her reach in the community. Then she heard about Vote & Vax from the Visiting Nurses Association of America. HomeHealth Visiting Nurses joined a growing statewide coalition to implement Vote & Vax that included numerous public and private sector organizations. The coalition’s goal was to operate four Vote & Vax clinics and deliver 650 flu shots, a goal which they ultimately exceeded.
Working with the Community
In order to ensure Vote & Vax’s non-partisan, non-political position, Cathy contacted her local election authorities and community officials to get their approval for the Vote & Vax clinics. She met some initial resistance, as the authorities were unsure about allowing a public health effort at polling sites. However, drawing on talking points from the Vote & Vax materials, Cathy informed the election authorities more fully about the effort and addressed their concerns. She was soon able to gain approval for the clinics. After receiving sign-off from the authorities, the coalition began actively promoting the clinics by holding a press conference, distributing flyers, mailing promotional materials, and appearing on public access television.
An Historic Day
On Election Day 2008, the HomeHealth Visiting Nurses administered two of the four Vote & Vax clinics sponsored by the statewide coalition. The clinics delivered a total of 669 flu shots, surpassing their goal. Through participating in Vote & Vax, Cathy was able to provide benefits for her community and to expand the reach of her organization. “It was such an important day, statewide, nationally, and it gave us some visibility and some positive press,” Cathy said. “I also enjoyed working with some of the local town leaders that we don’t necessarily get to work with.”
Cathy’s successful experience with Vote & Vax was just one of many around the country on Election Day 2008. By participating in the program, HomeHealth Visiting Nurses was able to improve the health of the community and participate in a rewarding and exciting effort. As Cathy said, “I absolutely loved being at the polls all day, seeing the process from open to close…It was just kind of awe-inspiring to be part of that, to be on the sidelines. And then to be able to provide a service at the same time, it was really a good day.”