Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced in August that it has discontinued Flulapalooza, an annual campus-wide event where students, faculty and community members received free flu shots behind Light Hall.
Flulapalooza will be reimagined into the “Fight the Flu” program, where VUMC employees will be able to receive flu shots at multiple sites, including the Occupational Health Clinic, One Hundred Oaks, Regional Hospital employee health locations and through the Peer Vaccination Program. Students, meanwhile, can continue to receive their flu shots through the Vanderbilt Student Health Center, which offers walk-in hours and after-hours clinics.
Launched in 2011 as a test of VUMC’s mass vaccination plan, Flulapalooza quickly grew into an annual tradition at the start of flu season. The event became known not only for its efficiency in vaccinating thousands in a single day, but also for its festive atmosphere — featuring mascots, informational stands and photo booths.
In VUMC’s first year hosting the event, Flulapalooza set a Guinness World Record, with 12,850 vaccines administered in a single location. However, following budget cuts at VUMC, the new “Fight the Flu” program will provide vaccinations in a more sustainable and accessible way for employees and students alike.
Ana Nobis, VUMC occupational health doctor, explained that the transition creates a cost-conscious way to provide flu shots to the Vanderbilt community. She noted that Flulapalooza had been an expensive undertaking.
“The medical center is looking out to safeguard its financial future. [That said], we are still offering the flu vaccine,” Nobis said. “As long as we can offer and give the flu vaccine [we will], it just needs to be delivered in a different way that would be an acceptable change.”
In a message to The Hustler, senior Pranoy Sangowdar said he has attended Flulapalooza for the past two years. He described the event as a “seasonal culture” while also pointing out that a well-organized, campus-wide effort keeps the event running smoothly.
“It’s a great event with a great mission! We’re college kids on a busy campus where illness can spread easily,” Sangowdar said. “I was in and out of the line within 15 minutes. This sort of efficiency, however, is only possible when resources are centralized and there is a structured workflow to keep things moving.”
Catherine Qian, nurse practitioner, occupational health clinic manager and incident commander, said Flulapalooza and “Fight the Flu” are nowhere near alike, highlighting that the new program spans two months rather than a single day.
“Our ‘Fight the Flu’ stations are going to be a maximum of four hours [with] four stations for people to get their flu vaccine, compared to Flulapalooza, where we had 18 stations,” Qian said. “Flulapalooza was a one day [event] we’ve had over the past 12 years. ‘Fight the Flu’ is throughout September and October.”
Amy Thomas, communications specialist of occupational health, mentioned that unlike Flulapalooza, where Vanderbilt and VUMC employees and students were vaccinated together in one central location, students are now directed to Student Health for their flu shots.
“VU students this year have flu vaccine services offered through Student Health,” Thomas said. “The Student Health Clinic is offering walk-in hours with no appointment necessary, and there will also be two after-hours clinics on different dates.”
