Children’s Wisconsin, in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee Health Department, helped provide thousands of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers, school staff and childcare providers at locations across the city in March 2021. Hundreds of employees volunteered over several weeks to help support the vaccination efforts at libraries, schools and the Wisconsin Center. 
“Having vaccines available to provide them to educators and childcare workers allows us to a have a pathway through this pandemic,” said Michael Gutzeit, MD, chief medical officer at Children’s Wisconsin. Dr. Gutzeit said staff recognized the vaccination of education and childcare staff would directly affect the physical and mental health of children they care for. 
“We knew there were 25,000 teachers and childcare workers that needed shots in arms, and we were committed to do everything we could,” said Peggy Troy, president and CEO, Children’s Wisconsin. This was a huge step on the road to getting kids back to normal and in school.
As more groups became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, including kids, Children’s Wisconsin pivoted their strategy to focus on vaccinating our patients and their families as well as supporting various community initiatives to increase access to vaccines closer-to-home for Milwaukee residents. Efforts included partnering with community organizations to ensure that certain populations, particularly those that faced transportation challenges, language barriers and longstanding health disparities, had the opportunity to access information and vaccines in a trusting and familiar environment.