Hands-On Public Health: A Local, Campus Respiratory Virus Campaign

When the world hands you lemons, you learn to make lemonade. In public health, locally sourced is even better.
With federal public health guidance in disarray, it can be easy to forget that most public health is, and always has been, local. It is not the federal government that sanitizes water, inspects restaurants, or diagnoses infectious diseases. It is the thousands of local health departments across the country—and their community partners.
The Department of Public Health at California State University, Los Angeles is one of those partners. Through a campus respiratory virus campaign and a free vaccine clinic, faculty and students worked to protect their community, reinforcing the essential role of local public health action.
Hands on Public Health
Amid growing frustration with shifting federal vaccine messaging, public health faculty and students at Cal State LA launched a respiratory virus education campaign to protect their campus community. Partnering with the Student Health Center—long a provider of annual flu vaccinations—and working within a newly established Academic Health Department partnership, the initiative also drew on the health communication expertise of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Across three days in September and October 2025, 75 public health student volunteers conducted a campus-wide outreach effort focused on respiratory virus prevention. The team designed and distributed educational materials—bookmarks, fittingly for a university setting—to nearly one in four students on campus. Just as importantly, students were immediately directed to free, on-site flu vaccinations.
That is education and action–delivered together.

Taking Matters into Our Own Hands
In recent months, federal-level vaccination guidance and messages shifted in ways that created uncertainty for many, including students and educators. When national policy and messaging fluctuate, the local level feels it. As a result, local public health agencies and institutions must safeguard the public’s health.
In the absence of timely federal course correction, the Department of Public Health at California State University, Los Angeles decided to act. Rather than waiting for national alignment, departmental leadership, faculty, and students created a locally tailored respiratory virus outreach effort grounded in current public health evidence. Free, accessible vaccination on campus was integrated directly into the effort, reducing barriers and reinforcing prevention.
This approach reflects a core reality of public health: some of the most effective interventions are built and implemented locally, where trust, relevance, and immediacy can be leveraged. For students, participating in this initiative was not only impactful—it was empowering, reinforcing the essential role of local public health action when broader systems lag.

Partnership With the Student Health Center
The flu vaccination pop-up series demonstrated how accessible, student-centered preventive care can strengthen engagement with campus health services.
Among the 133 students who received vaccinations, most (87.2%) were returning recipients, suggesting the events successfully reinforced existing preventive behaviors while still reaching first-time participants (10.5%). Nearly all participants reported they would be likely to participate again in future events, reflecting high satisfaction.
The initiative also strengthened trust in campus health services: 97% of participants indicated they were extremely or somewhat likely to use the Student Health Center for future care. Beyond healthcare utilization, students reported broader benefits—over 91% perceived a positive impact on their academic success, and more than 93% reported an increased sense of belonging to the campus community.
Faculty and health educators observed that pairing clear, evidence-based materials with in-person conversations helped normalize flu vaccination and address common concerns in a low-pressure environment. By coordinating closely with LA County and embedding vaccination opportunities in a familiar campus setting, we helped students to move seamlessly from information to action.

Student Experiences Offered Real-World Public Health
Faculty and students worked closely together to bring this respiratory virus awareness campaign to life on campus. While faculty led the campaign planning, students organized registrations, distributed bookmarks and talked directly to campus members about the virus and the importance of the flu vaccine.
The campaign was held on three different dates, which helped ensure the message reached more people and gave students multiple chances to participate if they missed an earlier session. Volunteer students also helped create a positive experience by making sure those who received the flu shot were appreciated, even handing out small tokens of appreciation at the end. 
Being part of this campus respiratory virus campaign gave students real-world public health experience far beyond the classroom. Students practiced health communication, observed how information spreads, and saw firsthand how planning and teamwork shape public health outcomes.
At the same time, students faced real challenges—approaching peers who were hesitant or uninterested, balancing personal and academic responsibilities, and coordinating logistics. Navigating these obstacles helped students build confidence, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of what real public health work looks like in actual settings. 
Making Lemonade Locally

National public health policy has its limits. At best, its impact can be uneven; at worst, its shortcomings can ripple across communities. What remains constant is that, in practice, most public health is local.
At Cal State LA, faculty and students did not wait for Washington. They took action—educating peers, providing vaccination, and strengthening trust in campus health services. This work underscores two fundamental truths: solutions can come directly from communities, and working together with partners can strengthen them.
When broader systems falter, local public health can help fill the gap. This effort bridged education and practice to address a community need–educating nearly a quarter of the campus. This campus respiratory virus campaign demonstrates that meaningful public health does not have to start at the federal level. Sometimes it starts on a single campus.

Author informationJhoanna AvelinoJhoanna Avelino, MPH(c), CHES, is a health educator and Certified Health Education Specialist specializing in campus health promotion and preventive public health programming. Her work focuses on advancing student well-being through evidence-based education, community engagement, and health equity initiatives.
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