CDC director visits Louisville school to stress importance of vaccination clinic for students

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The country's top medical official was in Louisville Thursday to visit a vaccination clinic.

CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen was at Newcomer Academy to see the clinic that Jefferson County Public Schools held for students. She said the effort is critical to keeping the entire community safe.

"It's wonderful to see that our kids here in Louisville can get vaccinated right here at school," Cohen said.

Cohen was joined by Mayor Craig Greenberg, JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio and other local leaders, as students got their shots on the first day of school.

"What you see here is a vaccine clinic right in the school, so that kids are able to get those routine vaccines. It's their best defense against some of these serious illnesses, so I wanted to come here and see for myself the great work. They've really done a terrific job. I think it's a model for other school districts to follow," Cohen said.

District Health Manager Dr. Eva Stone said nearly 20,000 students were not up-to-date on their measles shots. She said they realized it was because many of them simply didn't have access to those vaccines.

That's why JCPS and Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness teamed up to have the medicine come to them to prevent the spread of illness across the district.

"We have children who have cancer and are on chemotherapy. We have children who are on immunosuppressant medicines. We have children that have lots of health struggles, and so it's very important that kids are vaccinated," Stone explained.

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