Elms College and Big Y Supermarkets Partner to Provide COVID-19 Vaccinations

Chicopee, MA – Elms College and Big Y Supermarkets have formed a partnership to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible residents in Western Massachusetts. Five of the tweenty participating STUDENT-athletes are part of the Women's Soccer Program. Erin Berthiaume, Sam Landry, Kayla Pasquel, Paige Silva, Elaina Vilar.

In coordination with the Elms College School of Nursing, Big Y has established two COVID-19 vaccination clinics. One clinic site is in the former Staples store that is located in the Big Y Plaza in East Longmeadow at 443 North Main Street. The second is located in the Greenfield Big Y Plaza at 237 Mohawk Trail on Route 2, in a space formerly occupied by a mattress store. 

"This collaboration with Big Y is a wonderful opportunity for the students and faculty of our School of Nursing to contribute to this important community service," said Kathleen B. Scoble, Ed.D., M.Ed., M.A., RN, dean of the School of Nursing. "Our students are receiving a unique and impactful learning experience that will better prepare them as nurses. We have enjoyed working with the Big Y leadership who clearly value the communities they serve by bringing the much-needed COVID-19 vaccination to area residents."

"Serving our communities is important to Big Y and the partnership with The Elms College School of Nursing has bolstered our capabilities to deliver this essential health care service," said Steve Nordstrom, pharmacy director at Big Y Supermarkets. "By leveraging our strengths, we are able to meet the critical need to vaccinate as many members of our communities as possible. Working with the Elms College School of Nursing has been a pleasure and has resulted in clinics that offer a safe, comfortable, and expeditious experience."

More than 200 Elms College School of Nursing students — sophomores, juniors and seniors — are participating in this joint effort with Big Y to administer and schedule COVID-19 vaccinations for recipients identified in Phase 2, Group 1 of the state's vaccination program. The students represent the college's traditional undergraduate nursing program, as well as the RN to BSN, Master of Nursing, and Accelerated Second Degree in Nursing programs, and work under the supervision of Elms College School of Nursing faculty. 

"These clinics are making a difference in people's lives and vaccine recipients have told me how caring and professional our nursing students have been," said Kathleen Pont, M.S., APRN, director of the Elms College Accelerated Second Degree in Nursing program and one of the college's lead clinic coordinators. 

"To date, we have run four clinics at the East Longmeadow site and one in Greenfield," said Nordstrom. "We have vaccinated more than 1,000 members of our community, which is particularly important given that more vulnerable groups are currently being vaccinated according to state guidelines. Big Y has also identified additional sites for future clinics and these will be operational as soon as enough vaccine supply is available."

"Some patients have driven two hours to these clinics and others are weeping because they are so grateful to receive the vaccine," said clinic coordinator Deana Nunes, MSN, RN, CWCN, an Elms College assistant clinical nursing professor.

While some nursing students are administering the vaccines, others help monitor patients after the shots are administered. Elms nursing students also help patients schedule appointments for their second vaccine shot. 

Here are the sophomores, juniors and seniors who were able to take part in this new found partnership. We are honored to not only have these students representing Elms College, but representing Athletics here as well.