Brick Street hosts vaccination clinic

Brick Street Bar and Grill’s dance floor served a new purpose Tuesday, Sept. 7 as the bar partnered with McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital to provide Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccinations to the public.

In August, Jessica Greene, Oxford’s assistant city manager, said Brick Street showed interest in hosting City Council’s vaccination clinic van provided by Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic (CARES) Act funding, but the manpower wasn’t available at the time.

“Brick Street wants the van to be out there every day, all day, but we just don’t have the staff right now,” Greene said.

Instead, Brick Street would have to settle for two hours.

Seth Cropenbaker, assistant to the city manager, wrote in an email to The Miami Student that in the days leading up to the event, attendance was in question, especially because it was planned before Miami University’s COVID response team reported over 75% of on-campus students showing proof of vaccination.

“The attendance at the clinic today is a curiosity,” Croppenbaker wrote. “When we planned the clinic at Brick, Miami had not yet released their on-campus vaccination rate, nor announced their policy on vaccination requirements and clinic options across campus.”

Greene wrote to the Student that she wasn’t expecting many students to come to the clinic.

“We don’t anticipate many participants since so many MU students are already vaccinated, but we appreciate Brick for leading the pro-vaccination message,” Greene wrote.

From 1 to 3 p.m., students lined up to receive their shots. They were also entered into drawings for free cover, fast passes and V.I.P. passes for Brick Street.

Photo by Taj Simmons | The Miami Student

Participants in the vaccine clinic were entered in a chance to win prizes like free cover or VIP and fast passes to skip the lines during business hours.

The incentives, however, weren’t the main reason students went to Brick Street for their shots.

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Ethan Chiapelli, a sophomore political science major, was one of the handful of students in line. Chiapelli said he came out to get the vaccination mainly because of Miami’s vaccination mandate.

“The school mandated it,” Chiapelli said. “I mean, [the Brick Street incentives] are bonus, but Miami has incentives too, but you don’t need to be vaccinated at the school to get those incentives.”

Joseph Cassetti, a junior sports leadership & management major, was another student in line who said without the mandate, he probably wouldn’t be here.

“We kinda got forced into doing it,” Cassetti said. “We didn’t want to have people breathing down our necks anymore.”

Brick Street was supplied with 40 shots, and 42 students ended up waiting in line for either a Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccination. The last two students were redirected to the walk-in McCullough-Hyde clinic for vaccinations.

Representatives from Brick Street declined to comment at the event.

@simmons_taj

simmontp@miamioh.edu