The Milwaukee Business Journal has awarded UWM a Health Care Champion award, recognizing the university’s efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
UWM was the only institution to receive a Health Care Champion award, along with 11 individuals or teams. The university was recognized in the Community Champion category.
In a profile about the award, the Business Journal cited UWM’s efforts to provide vaccination clinics and testing sites, both of which were open to the public and easily accessible. UWM has administered more than 16,000 vaccinations and more than 62,000 COVID-19 tests.
“No, UWM isn’t a health care institution,” the story says. “But when the pandemic pushed students into remote learning, the university believed it needed to do more despite some early misgivings about taking on a role in public health, said UWM chancellor Mark Mone.”
“This is such an important issue, so instead of just teaching things, instead of just talking in lip service about being engaged, we really owned that,” Mone told the paper.
The vaccination clinics were conducted in partnership with the Milwaukee Health Department and Advocate Aurora Health, but the clinics were on campus and staffing largely with UWM nursing students.
The newspaper also cited UWM’s ability to get the word out to the community about vaccinations, especially in communities that have been hesitant to get the shots.
“Our talented faculty, staff, students and partners made UWM shine during some of the darkest days of the pandemic,” Mone said. “I am delighted that their efforts have been recognized with a Health Care Champion award. As a Carnegie Community Engaged University, it was in our nature to step it up and help our campuses and communities to be as safe and healthy as possible.”
