Updates
Members of the Brown Community:
On Monday, May 17, University Human Resources will host an on-campus voluntary vaccination clinic open to vaccine-eligible faculty and staff who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine. This clinic is being held in partnership with the Wellness Company. The Moderna vaccine will be provided, and clinic staff will assist employees in registering to receive the required second dose on campus during the week of June 14. Advance registration is required and full details are included below.
Since the first COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for use in December 2020, Brown has offered to assist the State of Rhode Island with efforts to distribute the vaccine to eligible populations as doses became available. While Rhode Island has focused primarily on distribution through state-operated vaccination sites and pharmacies, increasing availability of the vaccine has shifted that approach in recent weeks. I’m pleased to share today Brown’s ability to host these on-campus clinics to administer the vaccine.
University Health Services, which is responsible for providing medical care to students on campus, is working with state leaders to create a similar on-campus opportunity to provide the vaccine to eligible Brown students. While planning remains underway, we hope to receive authorization to proceed shortly and look forward to sharing additional details with Brown students in the coming weeks. In the interim, students can make an appointment at or walk in to the Dunkin Donuts Center (http://vaccinateri.org) and use the Brown Shuttle to access the site.
Both of these efforts to create on-campus opportunities are part of Brown’s focus on encouraging widespread voluntary vaccination and making the process as convenient as possible for members of the campus community. The authorized vaccines for the Brown vaccination clinics have been shown to be 95% effective in preventing symptomatic laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and in preventing severe disease. At this point, all individuals 16 years of age or older who live, work or study in Rhode Island are eligible to get the vaccine at no cost and with no requirement for insurance. The wider and faster the vaccine is distributed in the Providence and Rhode Island communities, the sooner more normal operations will return to the Brown campus.
As a reminder, starting in the Fall 2021 semester, Brown will require COVID-19 vaccines for all undergraduate, graduate and medical students who will be on campus or engage in any level of in-person instruction. Medical and religious exemptions from vaccination will be granted to students, and reasonable accommodations will be provided, as established by applicable law. Separately, the University’s COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group continues to assess whether vaccination against COVID-19 should be mandatory for employees. The group will provide a recommendation to the University's senior administration by June.
EMPLOYEE VACCINATION CLINIC DETAILS
The on-campus COVID-19 voluntary vaccination clinic for employees will take place on Monday, May 17, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center (OMAC) at 235 Hope St. in Providence. Participants must register by noon on Sunday, May 16, via the following link and arrive at the site at their designated time only:
To protect the safety of all University community members, participants must wear face masks at all times during their visit to the vaccination site, and social distancing and other health and safety measures will be in place. All employees must bring their Brown ID card. As noted, the vaccine provided on-site will be Moderna, and clinic staff will assist employees in registering for their second dose. Employees are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. Whether Brown will require vaccines for employees at the start of the fall semester will be decided around June 1.
Additional details about COVID-19 vaccination and the importance of vaccination in Brown’s plans for a more traditional campus experience in 2021-22 are available on the Healthy Brown website. Whether at an on-campus clinic or through any other distribution site, please make every effort to get your vaccine as quickly as possible both for your own safety and to play an essential part in protecting community health.
Sincerely,
Russell C. Carey
Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy
Kimberly Almeida
Director, Benefits Operations, Human Resources