Mercy Medical Clinic is a free and charitable clinic providing primary health care services to uninsured community members in and around Lee County. After some initial fundraising and piloting, Archer and Okerberg invested in a strategically planned vaccine inventory renewable in perpetuity by generous manufacturer vaccine patient assistance programs. Working with the devoted nursing, office, and pharmacy staff at Mercy, they developed and implemented a vaccination service for their patients.

As a result of the program:

• 200+ patients have been screened for vaccine indication to date
• 6 vaccines have been administered to date

The staff at Mercy Medical Clinic is sustaining the vaccination service with its successful integration into normal clinic operations.

“As an avid reader of public health narratives and perspectives, my expectations of what I would learn from the hands-on experience afforded by the Schweitzer program were high, and they were exceeded exponentially. Being part of this fellowship meant being immersed in a network of dedicated people and work focused on making positive change, and upon completion it has provided an empowering understanding of what it means to have an impact that I will apply from here on.” Carl Okerberg

“Through this fellowship, I have been allowed to see and experience the hardships that many Americans face today. My patients, along with the staff at Mercy Medical, have truly emphasized the growing need of dedicated servants in the healthcare field. Knowledge is useful only if applied and as a health care professional, I now understand the mandate to serve to the best of my abilities.” Adam Archer