'We'll be safer': Vaccination drives at Athens high schools work to protect, educate students

When Tyquavion Baughns heard of a vaccination drive coming to Clarke Central High School, he saw an opportunity to help protect his family.

"I haven't gotten vaccinated yet, but my mom and my sister have," said Baughns, a 15-year-old sophomore at Clarke Central. "So I might as well get one, too. We'll be safer."

Baughns was one of more than 100 students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 over two days at two Athens high schools thanks to the combined efforts of Family Connections and the Innovative Health Care Institute.

The two vaccination drives, held at Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high schools Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, were months in the making, according to Stacy Dean, a member of Family Connections who spearheaded the events.

"It's important to get our youth vaccinated," Dean said.

University of Georgia students volunteered at the drives, while Innovative Health Care Institute staff talked students through the process before giving them their shots.

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Dr. Cshanyse Allen of the Innovative Healthcare Institute said a collaborative, community effort helped provide $50 gift cards for students who got vaccinated. The cards came through donations from the institute, the East Athens Development Corporation and the Athens Downtown Development Authority. St. Mary's Health Care System and Express Employment Professionals also sponsored the event, Allen said.

Shane Todd, who owns a Chick-fil-A in Athens, donated food for the drive.

"It's truly a community effort," Allen said. "We were so excited about that and everyone did not have a problem donating or doing whatever they could to help the high school students get vaccinated."

Education sessions were held for students at both high schools prior to the drives during students' lunch hours. This allowed students, and their parents, to ask Allen and her staff a wide range of questions regarding vaccines.

"We know that education is so important, especially for those that are hesitant," Allen said. "This is the bunch we are dealing with now, the vaccine-hesitant, so we're hoping to make a big dent in that."

More than 50 students registered for the drive at Cedar Shoals, and more than 70 at Clarke Central.

Students from both schools had their names entered in a raffle, where a winning student from each school will be awarded $500 after their second dose. Second doses for the students are planned for Nov. 10 and 11.

Family members of students were also welcome at the drive.

Billy Monterroso, a 23-year-old Cedar Shoals alum, came with his sibling. He said being in the military gave him the option to get a military or civilian vaccination.

"I figured they were doing it here and I'm familiar with this school," he said. "So I decided to do it here."

Monterroso said he was not really worried about vaccines as long as information was available.

"It's been approved by the government, the military — Pfizer specifically — so why not get it?" he said.

Dr. Diane Dunston of the Innovative Healthcare Institute said Dean reached out to the institute because he was aware of the grassroots work the institute was doing in the community.

"Most of these kids are my babies," said Dunston, who was with the Athens Neighborhood Health Center for 30 years. "Most of them I'm taking up on the stage now I've taken care of in Athens. This is only what I'm supposed to do."

She said she was unhappy with the fact many were still not being reached for vaccinations — not because they did not want to get good health care, but because they did not know there were people there for them.

"That's why we are at the high school," Dunston said. "You go where the people are."

Baughns was one of many students Dunston has cared for in Athens throughout her career.

"I'm not going to lie; I had my doubts myself because people talked about side effects and what could happen," Baughns said. "But it's to make the community safer and get everybody back on track."