UPDATE (WKOW) -- SSM Health will begin vaccinating local educators on Tuesday -- one day after teachers become eligible.
Each week SSM will hold two mobile on-site vaccination clinics at schools.
The first two up: Waunakee and Sun Prairie school districts.
"The excitement was in the air when I was able to send the announcement out yesterday to our staff," Nick Reichoff, SPASD Director of School Operations said.
"We're very excited here in Waunakee about the partnership," Randy Guttenberg, Waunakee Superintendent, echoed.
They are ready to go for their first coronavirus vaccine doses next week, with Waunakee on Tuesday and Sun Prairie on Friday.
"We've been working with SSM Dean since January with regard to plans for how we can move forward with a vaccination clinic to our staff," Guttenberg said.
That pre-planning helped SSM health get vaccines available and avoid the uncertainty that came with Public Health Madison and Dane County's mass vaccination site at the Alliant Energy Center, whose opening had to be delayed for lack of vaccine.
"It was a really exciting news this week when they told us that they actually had doses designated for our district and we could move forward as early as next week," Reichoff said.
But that preparedness put them at odds witha DHS guideline announced Thursdayto put a priority on districts with larger minority and free and reduced lunch student population.
"Certainly I support the efforts and the works to vaccinate based on the plan, but certainly moving forward with the Waunakee plan was part of moving forward with things that were already in place," Guttenberg said.
SUN PRAIRIE (WKOW) -- The Sun Prairie Area School District (SPASD) announced Friday employees will have the opportunity to get the COVID-19 vaccine at an on-site mass vaccination clinic.
The news comes from a release from SPASD.
SPASD reported they are partnering with SSM Healthto provide employees a first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Mar. 5 and the dose on Mar. 30.
SPASD said vaccinations will be held in the Sun Prairie High School field house.
SSM Health is providing staff to coordinate the clinic, and the school district will provide health assistants and nurses to administer the vaccines.
Nick Reichhoff, Director of Student Policy & School Operations said, “We’d like to express gratitude to SSM Health for their partnership.”
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