AUGUSTA, Ga. – Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan visited two of Augusta University Health’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week, calling the university’s efforts a model for others in the Peach State.
During his visit Thursday, he toured the site at Good Shepherd Baptist Church and the large AU Health vaccination hub in a former SteinMart along Washington Road.
Duncan called AU’s vaccination efforts an incredible example of leadership.
“Taking this tour, watching the intersection of so many community partners, thank you for opening up your place of worship, thank you for volunteering your time, thank you for building the technology necessary, thank you for showing up and answering the call of your communities,” he said.
He says AU Health’s efforts should be used as an example for sites across the state.
“There’s just different models that work in different communities, and certainly this is one of those examples,” he said. “Knowing that AU has such an influence across the state, I look for opportunities to replicate this in other places all over the state.”
In partnership with Good Shepherd’s the Rev. Clarence Moore, AU Health identified key community groups that ordinarily experience difficulty in accessing health care and is working to vaccinate those who are generally underserved.
The Washington Road vaccine site was donated by Augusta National Golf Club and has the capacity to administer 3,000 vaccines per day with the ability to add additional pop-clinics within the community.
AU President Dr. Brooks Keel said it was an honor to host Duncan, noting that AU Health will have administered about 30,000 vaccines by the end of this week.
“As the state’s only public academic medical center, we’re privileged to work alongside Lt. Gov. Duncan and his team to end this pandemic and improve the health of Georgians everywhere,” Keel said.
Duncan was joined in the visit to Augusta by state Sens. Max Burns and Dr. Ben Watson.
“Georgia is home to an exceptional public medical college, and Georgians across the state benefit daily from the care, innovation, and education that Augusta University provides. Throughout the pandemic, Augusta University, Dr. Keel, and the entire AU Health team have worked tirelessly to provide information, testing, and vaccinations to thousands of Georgians,” Duncan said in a statement. “I am in awe of the community partnerships they intentionally created to ensure that no eligible Georgian misses out on the opportunity to receive a vaccine.”
