Team Rubicon volunteers help vaccination efforts in Jefferson Co.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - As county health departments ramp up efforts to vaccinate, much of the work falls on volunteers.

In Jefferson County, an international non-profit is providing some extra hands in addition to community members giving their time time to make sure operations go smoothly.

Team Rubicon, a veteran-led organization, works to respond to disasters across the globe, even helping with historic flooding in south central Wisconsin in 2018. Now, the organization is focusing on the fight against COVID-19.

Epidemiologist and COVID-19 public information officer for Jefferson Co., Samroz Jakvani, said roughly ten Team Rubicon volunteers have been assisting at their only county-run vaccine clinic located at the Jefferson County Fair Park.

“We have a number of our own county health department staff who are in every single clinic from vaccine preparation to observation to education, but we do need those volunteers there,” he said.

The additional Team Rubicon volunteers have helped at the site since Jan. 25. Co-Founder and CEO Jake Wood, a former UW-Madison Badger football player, said they will continue to mobilize these type of teams.

“We are currently operating approximately 50 sites across the country right now, with plans and hopes to scale to 500 sites being supported by Team Rubicon here in the coming weeks and months,” Wood said.

Wood said they are also supporting a vaccine site in Appleton. He said they will continue to help likely through October.

“As the state of Wisconsin and multiple counties and health departments across the state see the influx of doses coming from the new administration, they are going to need support getting those doses in peoples arms,” he said.

Jakvani said they also hope to expand their reach as more doses become available.

“We are in the process of setting up additional sites where we might have smaller, more regular clinics,” he said.

The county’s community vaccine site at the fair park is currently open a few days and varies each week. Jakvani said they have been able to administer just under 4,000 shots since it opened Jan. 12. Roughly 7,000 people total in the county have received the vaccine.

For additional information regarding site hours, visit the Jefferson Co. website, or email vaccine@jeffersoncountywi.gov.

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