American Association of Nurse Practitioners Honors Nurse Practitioner-Led Vanderbilt Mobile Vaccination Program
Media Contact: Bryan Black
Nurse practitioners developed a program that administered more than 15,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Tennesseans in underserved communities.
Nashville, Tenn. — Dr. April N. Kapu, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP), the largest professional organization representing nurse practitioners (NPs), today recognized and honored NPs who developed the Vanderbilt Mobile Vaccination Program (VMVP). The program is a partnership between the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Since its inception, the VMVP has administered over 15,000 vaccines to more than 6,500 Tennesseans in underserved communities.
“AANP is proud to honor the tremendous efforts of the Vanderbilt Mobile Vaccination Program,” said Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN. “NPs have been at the forefront of patient care throughout the pandemic, and we are grateful to Vanderbilt for recognizing the leadership and exceptional care NPs have demonstrated while combating COVID-19.”
The event at Urban Housing Solutions featured an NP-led mobile vaccination clinic for seniors eligible for their fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Vanderbilt nursing students also distributed emergency first-aid kits. “We appreciate our partners at Urban Housing Solutions for hosting this event, which benefits members of our community — many of whom struggle daily amidst health care disparities and lack of access to health care,” said Kapu.
The VMVP was launched in March 2021 to increase the number of medically underserved individuals vaccinated for COVID-19, decrease vaccine hesitancy in their communities and provide a platform for VUSN faculty, staff and students to serve these patients.
The NP-led team:
- Designed and developed a mobile clinic with more than 200 health events to engage the community, reaching vulnerable populations in Davidson County and in the surrounding Bedford, Coffee, Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson counties.
- Engaged and recruited more than 300 volunteers to participate in nearly 250 VMVP events across Middle Tennessee.
- Worked with numerous community agencies across service areas, including Catholic Charities, Elmahaba Center, the Hispanic Family Foundation, Fannie Battle Day Care, Metropolitan Development and Housing Administration, Metro National Public Schools Community Achieves, Nashville International Center for Empowerment, Tennessee Resettlement Aid, Urban Housing Solutions and Vaccine for All — as well as other faith-based communities — to increase vaccine access and reduce community spread of this deadly virus.
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The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 355,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs’ patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. For COVID-19 information from AANP, visit aanp.org/covid19.