“Hug Me! I’m Vaccinated” Clinic a Success at TAM2012

One of the most rewarding things I did at TAM2012, which was full of rewarding things, was to help run and staff the Hug Me! vaccination clinic.  Hug Me! is a campaign by the Women Thinking, Inc to educate women and parents (and pretty much anyone else) on the importance of vaccinating their children and themselves.  While at TAM2012, we gave 161 free TDaP – that’s Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis (whooping cough) – booster shots to attendees of the conference.  If you are interested in learning more and possibly supporting our work, by donating or buying a Hug Me! shirt, click here 🙂

**Update: if you want to buy a Hug Me! shirt (as pictured below) send an email to marsmattus [at] yahoo [dot] com

The volunteers from the Women Thinking, Inc posing with James “The Amazing One” Randi (note our mascot, the sloth)

Women Thinking Free Has Morphed Into Something… Even… MORE Awesome!

Some of you might be aware that in addition to all the work I do regarding skepticism and education, I am also proud to declare that I’m on the board of the Women Thinking Free Foundation… except that the WTFF no longer exists.  But that’s just because it’s now even MORE awesome, and it has been renamed to Women Thinking, Inc.  😀

We’ve been really busy behind the scenes with our rebranding and some amazing stuff we’ve been working on for the last year-and-a-half regarding vaccine survey research in conjunction with the James Randi Educational Foundation.  This research is REALLY a big deal, and there’s no doubt you’ll be hearing all about it in the weeks and months to come – stay tuned for that.

But rather than tease you anymore, I’ll refer you to this post over at Skepchick where our fearless mofo leader, Elyse Anders, has dished out all the info on our big switchover.  Check it out…

Women Thinking Free is no more…

When we started this organization back in 2010, we never dreamed that we’d be presenting ourselves far outside of the skeptical movement. Our goal was always to bring more women into organized skepticism, if not just to encourage women to think more critically. The Women Thinking Free, or WTF, was a name that said that we were free thinking women who didn’t take ourselves too seriously and that we had a sense of humor in our mission. As an organization with roots deep in the Skepchick community, I felt that the WTF was a name that expressed a lot of my persona, and reflected the tone of the community.

But the Women Thinking Free is growing. And we’re growing up. We’re doing more work on a national level and putting ourselves out to organizations who are less or maybe totally un-familiar with skepticism and the skeptical community. We do great work, and we intend to keep on doing that great work.  And while I loathe to take myself seriously, it is time to take my organization seriously. We have a hardworking core of board members and volunteers who work tirelessly, and they deserve to be taken seriously. And we need to tell those who don’t know us that we are an organization worth investing in and believing in. We’re not a dopey bunch of girls who don’t know what WTF means… and we’re not a group who doesn’t care how your organization will look being affiliated with “WTF”.

So we’re changing our name.

We’re still a fun group. We still don’t take ourselves too seriously. The only thing that’s changed is that we’ve realized we’ve created something good enough to present in a way that won’t be dismissed out of hand… and without having to argue over adverbs.

We are now Women Thinking, inc. See? Not a lot has changed. Just a couple of words. We’re still women. We’re still thinking. We’re just a little classier.

We also still need your help in raising funds to do all the great stuff we have planned over the next year.

Click here to read the rest of Elyse’s post at Skepchick!

Oh yeah, and one last thing… we still have our groovy Hug Me I’m Vaccinated! campaign where we promote vaccination and help to run free vaccine clinics, but our mascot is no longer a cute n’ cuddly teddy bear.  Our new mascot is a cute n’ cuddly sloth, because sloths love to hug and hang on… but only if you’re vaccinated 😉

More Vaccine Awesomeness at Dragon*Con!

I’m happy to report that we had another successful free vaccine clinic at Dragon*Con this year.  In total, we gave out about 125 vaccinations for TDaP (tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis) and 100 vaccinations for the flu!  In addition to the vaccines, the clinic also provided free HIV testing.  Props to the groups that put on the clinic, including the Women Thinking Free Foundation, Skepchick, the Hug Me I’m Vaccinated campaign, and the Cobb & Douglas Public Health District of Georgia.

Yup, that’s us… saving lives and giving Andrew Wakefield the finger, all in one go 🙂

Take THAT, germs!!! 🙂

 

Vaccine Clinic at Dragon*Con 2011

Well, very soon I’ll be on my way to Dragon*Con 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, where I’ll be engaging in all manner of sciencey, skepticky fun and general weirdness (if you’ve ever been to Dragon*Con, you know what I mean 🙂 ).  While there I will be giving a lecture on cosmology, participating in a panel on skepticism and education, and helping put on a kick-ass physics demonstration show.  But in addition to all of that, I am proud to say that I’ll also be helping out with another free vaccination clinic!

Here are some details on the clinic from Skepchick.  If you’re at Dragon*Con, come by to see if you’re up to date on your shots…

Vaccinations at Dragon*Con

Me and Skepchick Rebecca Watson, showing off our freshly vaccinated guns from last year’s D*C clinic 🙂

We’re very excited to announce that this year’s Dragon*Con will once again feature a vaccination clinic!  The Atlanta Skeptics, in coordination with the Cobb & Douglas Public Health District and the Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated campaign, will be providing free pertussis boosters, plus flu shots and STD testing! So if you’re attending Dragon*Con and checking out Skeptrack, make sure you stop by and get your shot

When: Sept 3-4, 2011, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Where: Atlanta Marriott Room M 109.  (On the Marquis Level)

Why? For a first hand story about why it’s important to get your pertussis shot, check out Mickey’s story!

Note: You *will* need a Dragon*Con badge to get to this area.

Want to help out? Donate a few bucks to the Hug Me campaign to help offset the costs for promoting and setting up the event!

** DONATE **

Some of you who have been around a while will remember that we (hastily) put together a clinic last year but were not able to host it on Dragon*Con premises. This year promises to be even bigger and better as we’ve had the time and it will be at Dragon*Con itself! Many thanks to the folks at Dragon*Con who have worked with us to make this happen, as well as to Bill Atkinson, with the CDC who is the driving force behind the clinics we’re able to put together.

Vaccination Clinic at TAM9 is a Great Success!

Once again, I would like to toot my own skeptical horn 🙂  This past weekend at The Amaz!ng Meeting 9 a group of organizations – the Women Thinking Free Foundation, the James Randi Educational Foundation, Skepchick, and the Southern Nevada Health District – worked to bring a free vaccine clinic to the conference.  And boy did we kick all kinds of ass!  Look, I have photographic evidence…

Me and Bad Astronomer Phil Plait, kicking ass with our official Hug Me gear (T-shirts and teddy bears for sale via the WTFF)!

Photo Credit: Jamie Bernstein a.k.a. The Original Skeptical Ninja

Like the WTFF’s previous clinic at Dragon*Con last September, we offered free TDaP vaccinations for anyone who came into the clinic (TDaP stands for “tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis”) and it was also part of the WTFF’s “Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated!” campaign to reach out to the general population, and parents in particular, about the need for vaccines and how anti-vaccinationist propaganda can be deadly.

At the Dragon*Con clinic, we vaccinated over 200 people in two days, which was – according to the clinic workers – a massively successful clinic.  But we aren’t satisfied with that success, which became apparent when our clinic at TAM9 blew that record away by vaccinating a whopping 306 people in 5.5 hours!  W00t!!! 🙂

A lot of people came up to me during the clinic and thanked me and my skeptical colleagues at the WTFF and JREF for doing this work, but I have to say that one of the biggest reasons why we can do this at all is because of the generous support from people like you.  We want to keep doing these clinics, and we’re planning to do another one at Dragon*Con 2011 – but we cannot do it without your support.  So please consider making a donation to this worthy cause…

 **DONATE HERE**

Thanks again for all your support – YOU kick ass! 😀

Photo Credit: Jamie Bernstein a.k.a. The Original Skeptical Ninja

Vaccine Clinic at The Amaz!ng Meeting 9

As most people within the skeptical community know, next week The Amaz!ng Meeting 9 will be coming to Las Vegas.  It will probably be the biggest gathering of skeptics ever, and the lineup of speakers and workshops (one of which I’m helping to run) promises to be quite illuminating and informative.  Something else which will be taking place at TAM9 is a vaccine clinic, held in conjunction with the JREF, Skepchick, and the Women Thinking Free Foundation as part of the WTFF Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated! campaign; this will be very similar to the highly successful clinic held at Dragon*Con last year.  The clinic will be giving away free vaccinations for TDaP (tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis) to anyone who wishes to receive one – so if you’re at TAM9 and you’re not sure you have had your vaccinations updated, come on by the clinic!

In addition, even though these vaccines are free for those obtaining them, they still cost money, so we are looking for donations to help us facilitate future clinics.  If you are interested in donating to this worthy cause, click here…

DONATE

 

And here’s more general information about the Hug Me campaign.  Who doesn’t like good health AND hugs?  What a deal…

“Hug Me I’m Vaccinated!” T-Shirts Available at the Women Thinking Free Store

You may recall that awhile back I mentioned a new pro-vaccine campaign launched by the Women Thinking Free Foundation called “Hug Me I’m Vaccinated!”  Well, the WTFF is now happy to announce that we have “Hug Me!” T-shirts available for sale, so you can represent good medical science in a stylish manner.

Show your support for vaccines, the Hug Me campaign, and hugs in a Hug Me I’m Vaccinated T-shirt.

All the coolest kids are vaccinated. Get them to hug you!

All adult tees are 100% cotton and are “natural” in color.

Cost: $19.50 plus shipping & handling

Dragon*Con Vaccine Clinic Interview on Skeptic Zone Podcast

As another quick follow up to the successful launch of the “Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated!” campaign at Dragon*Con last weekend, I wanted to share with you all an interview conducted by the fine folks at the Skeptic Zone Podcast. In it, Dr. Rachael Dunlop interviews me, Brian Anders (husband of the WTFF’s fearless leader, Elyse Anders), and Dr. Bill Atkinson of the CDC.  Check it out (start at the 30:30 mark for the relevant section of the podcast)…

Vaccination Clinic at Dragon*Con = Massive Success!

All I can say is “Whoo Hoo!” – well, that’s not all I can say.  I can also say…

Take THAT, whooping cough! 🙂

I’m happy to say that the launch of the “Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated!” campaign at Dragon*Con in Atlanta this past weekend was an unqualified success.  The clinic was put together via the combined efforts of the Women Thinking Free Foundation, the groovy ladies at Skepchick, the Centers for Disease Control, and the vaccination team from Cobb & Douglas counties.  Over the last few months, we raised money to rent the space; put together a really great FAQ brochure on things everyone should know about vaccines; and mobilized volunteers to help with the clinic.

How successful was the clinic?  Did I mention the word “MASSIVE”?!!!  We provided free booster vaccinations for tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis (also called TDaP) to over 200 Dragon*Con attendees – so many that the people from the CDC and health department almost ran out!  The health department volunteers were flabbergasted by the turnout, because they say that often when they conduct similar events barely anyone shows up, and here we were having almost run out of vaccine because attendance was so high!  In addition, there was free HIV testing available for anyone interested.

Not only that, but we at the WTFF have been notified that others have heard about our successful “Hug Me…” launch, and they are now contemplating holding their own vaccination clinics in the same manner.  I had no idea that it would take off like this: that when I mentioned in my last blog post about “light a candle rather than curse the darkness” we’d end up lighting a freakin’ bonfire!  Did I say “Whoo Hoo!” yet?  🙂

If you are among those interested in learning how we put this all together and are considering holding your own vaccination clinic, just send me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

In closing, allow me to share another photo with you.  This one includes the nurses & workers from the local health department, our CDC representative, as well as many of the skeptics who volunteered their time at Dragon*Con for such a worthy cause…

“Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated!” Campaign Launches with Free Vaccination Clinic at Dragon*Con 2010!

Much of the time, I spend my energy venting my spleen and bitching about various forms of pseudoscience and flummery; and I get mad at myself for not griping less & doing more.  Or, in the words of Carl Sagan, I sometimes I wish that I spent more time lighting a candle as opposed to cursing the darkness.  Well, with the official launch of “Hug Me, I’m Vaccinated!” campaign this weekend at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia, I can feel proud that I’m helping to light a LOT of candles. Please note that this is the culmination of months of work, fundraising, and support from the skeptical community (most notably the Women Thinking Free Foundation and Skepchick)

The launch of “Hug Me…” this weekend is twofold:

1. We are going to start mounting an aggressive campaign to get the word out to our target demographic, 20 and 30-somethings & young parents, about the importance of vaccinating themselves and their children.  For example, check out the frequently asked questions at the “Hug Me…” website for more information.

2. We are going to be providing a FREE vaccination clinic at Dragon*Con!  We’ll be providing Tdap (tetanus, diptheria and pertussis – “whooping cough”) booster shots for those who want them.  Adolescents and adults 11-64 years of age should receive one booster dose of the vaccine. Parents, family members and caregivers of infants less than 1 year of age can protect these infants by getting this vaccine.

The clinic will run Saturday & Sunday (Sept. 4th and 5th) in the Mall at Peachtree Center, at the International Blvd entrance.  Cobb & Douglas Public Health staff will be available to administer the vaccinations on those days from 10am to 4pm. More info on this over at Skepchick!

I’ll be around the clinic, helping out as much as possible and giving – what else? – HUGS to those who want them.  If you can, drop by to get your vaccination, and as a bonus you’ll get a hug from me as I’m dressed up as Dr. McCoy 🙂

I promise to not look quite so serious as all that.  In addition, I will be moving about Dragon*Con taking video footage of anyone present who wants to share their thoughts on why getting vaccinated is important to them.  If you see me, flag me down so you can share your story, and spread the word about “Hug Me…”!!!