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Posted: 2/26/21

TAMIU Nursing School Champions Service  to Community Sunday at City Vaccine Drive

 

Dr. Marivic Torregosa
Dr. Marivic Torregosa, Dean, College of Nursing and Health Sciences  

 

As they have since the beginning of the City’s COVID-19 Response, some 120 Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) student nurses will help  in the administration of coronavirus vaccines in a City of Laredo vaccine drive this Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 at TAMIU.

Dr. Marivic Torregosa, TAMIU dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences’  Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing,  said TAMIU nurses have long provided help in vaccine delivery, flu clinics, outreach to vulnerable populations like stroke victims and contact tracing – providing them a rare learning opportunity.

“TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz leads our campus’ COVID-19 Response Team and meets with the City pretty much daily.  He made us aware of  the Laredo Health Department’s various needs.  We realized that this represented a real-world opportunity for our students to get hands-on experience in community health and become involved in  helping our hometown and our community health professionals.  This is something most students would only read about in a textbook. Instead, they are part of vital team that is helping to flatten COVID-19 transmission,” Dr. Torregosa said.

So far in  2021, TAMIU student nurses have generated 2000+ volunteer service hours at vaccine drives at the Sames Auto Arena, and Laredo Independent School District and United Independent School District campuses. Last year, student nurses completed 6500+ service hours.  Their efforts joined a TAMIU-wide community service drive by all students that generated over 50,000 service hours as part of the University’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Dr. Torregosa noted that TAMIU student nurses also conduct contact tracing on campus in a dedicated area with all-important social distancing and face-covering in place.

“We’ve created a call center on campus with phones provided by the Health Department. Students socially distanced  and masked,  conduct the contact tracing. The room and all phones are disinfected between all uses,” she explained.   

Torregosa said she’s tremendously proud of the TAMIU students and the contribution they are making to the City’s COVID-19 response.

“This is truly a tremendous showing of care, commitment and support… and giving back to our community. That’s what all nurses do every day and these future nurses are going to be a powerful part of that caring frontline legacy,” she concluded. 

In March, TAMIU student nurses are already scheduled to assist COVID Vaccine testing at LIFE Downs, and assist in vaccine drives at LISD and VARA Hospice.

For Sunday’s event, vaccines are only available to those who have scheduled an appointment.  They are non- transferrable and only those registered for an appointment will receive the vaccine. 

Vaccines will not be administered if a person is in isolation, under quarantine, or experiencing symptoms to ensure the safety of the staff. Approximately 700 vaccines will be administered at TAMIU.

For more on the vaccine drive, contact the City of Laredo’s dedicated COVID-19 site at: https://www.cityoflaredo.com/coronavirus/  or call its Information Hotline at 956.795.4954.

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing is approved by the Texas Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

In addition to its traditional BSN  program, it offers an RN-BSN (online), a Master in Nursing Administration and an online Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner Program.  Recently added is a BS in Public Health.

Find out more about the College of Nursing and Health Sciences here: https://www.tamiu.edu/conhs/

TAMIU student nurses volunteer
TAMIU Student Nurses have been helping the City's COVID-19 Response since the global health pandemic began last year.