Droves of state workers gathered at Clark Hall on Thursday in order to protect themselves from the upcoming flu season as well as to help the New York State Health Department run a flu vaccination drill.
ProtEX NY 2007 is an exercise, which aims to prepare New York State for a natural emergency such as an influenza outbreak or any other viral illness that has the possibility to turn into a pandemic.
"The New York State Department of Health wanted to have the opportunity to train our employees to vaccinate a large amount of Western New Yorkers in a rapid amount of time," said Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the New York State Department of Health.
The exercise, also called a POD (point of dispensing), was set up in order to provide flu vaccinations in the form of a "flu shot" which is injected into a muscle or a "Flu Mist" which is a nasal spray.
According the Hammond, the flu vaccine was chosen for this exercise since November signifies the beginning of flu season.
ProtEX targeted New York State employees for the mass vaccination, which included UB faculty, staff and graduate students who work at UB.
According to Hammond, since state workers like snowplow drivers and EMT workers are depended upon during emergencies, protecting them during a possible pandemic is of the utmost importance.
"In an effort to protect the public health, we focused on the critical infrastructure of the community, those who would be responding to emergencies," Hammond said.
ProtEX NY's motto reiterates this, stating, "protect yourself from the flu and be someone who protects."
UB was chosen as the ProtEX POD site due to its close proximity to the targeted demographic. According to Hammond, state workers employed within a ten-mile radius of UB were eligible to participate.
"We chose UB based on the fact that there is a large population in a concentrated area," Hammond said. "It is centrally located to our target audience."
Many workers involved worked walking distance from South Campus. Those who worked farther away were bussed to the site via UB Stampede.
While this is the first time a POD has been done in Buffalo, they have been completed successfully in Syracuse and New York City.
"It's a statewide effort," Hammond said.
Hammond also noted that the exercise was an opportunity to educate people about the differences between a vaccination and medication.
"A vaccination is what you receive beforehand. These people are being vaccinated to prevent the flu," Hammond said. "Medication is issued after one is ill."
Though ProtEX was not geared toward students, Hammond encourages UB students to take advantage of the several clinics that provide flu vaccinations free or charge, including UB's Student Wellness Center.
"There are a great number of clinics and no shortage of flu vaccines," he said. "Everyone (at UB) will have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
