Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: October 19, 2007

Health Department Presents Community Partnership Award to Linda Campbell For Her Work With Vaccinate Before You Graduate

Today the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) presented Linda Campbell, Manager of the Warwick Mall, with a Community Partnership Award for her work with the Vaccinate Before You Graduate Program. HEALTH’s Community Partnership Award is presented to individuals and groups who engage in exceptional community efforts that support the mission of the Health Department.

Vaccinate Before You Graduate is an immunization program offered to Rhode Island high school seniors. The program works with schools and community agencies to reach youth while they are in school and eligible for free vaccine through the state’s Vaccine for Children program. The goal of the program is to assist the medical community to ensure that all youth are fully immunized again vaccine preventable diseases before they leave school to go on to work or higher education. Vaccination clinics are held in schools throughout the school year, and summer catch up clinics are held at HEALTH and the Warwick Mall.

Linda Campbell has hosted the program’s summer clinics at the Warwick Mall for the past several summers. She has donated space and staff for the event. Linda has designed posters and printed tabletop materials to outreach to the community at no cost to HEALTH’s Immunization Program. The marquis space is also donated for an entire day and Linda provides radio and newsletter advertising.

Linda Campbell has been a key partner to the program. Her generosity has allowed the Immunization Program to provide a fundamental public health service to the youth of Rhode Island.  HEALTH thanks Ms. Campbell and acknowledges that without her support, this community health event would not be possible.