Most University Employees Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccination Starting Jan. 18

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that Phase 1-B of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan will begin Monday, Jan. 18. University of Arkansas faculty, staff and graduate assistants who are required to physically report to campus are eligible for the vaccine as a part of Phase 1-B. Those in a completely remote status will not be eligible for the vaccine during this phase. 

Individual letters will be emailed to eligible university employees later this week. The individualized letters will serve as documentation of your affiliation with the university for purposes of the COVID-19 vaccination process. 

While the university does not require COVID-19 vaccination at this time, it is strongly encouraged that each employee consider receiving the vaccine as a part of efforts to enhance the safety of the campus work and learning environment. If you choose to be vaccinated, it will be provided to you with no out-of-pocket cost. The U.S. government is providing the vaccine to all states at no cost, including Arkansas. So, the cost of the vaccine will not be billed. However, the vaccine provider may bill your insurance for the vaccine administration fee to cover their cost of giving the vaccine to you. If you have no health insurance, you will not be billed for the administration fee. 

Pat Walker Health Center has applied for approval to be a COVID-19 vaccination provider. Until that approval has been received, please check with your pharmacy of choice, and see if they are accepting reservations.  

The Arkansas Pharmacists Association provides lists of pharmacies providing COVID-19 vaccines by name, county and city. 

To receive the vaccine from eligible providers, you must take the following:

• University photo identification
• Insurance card
• Driver’s license or other form of photo identification 
• You may also need the individualized letter from the university that will be emailed to eligible employees later this week

In addition, a mass vaccination clinic is being planned on campus. 

“The university is in discussions with Collier Drug Stores about the possibility of conducting large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinics on campus that would be available to all eligible faculty, staff and graduate assistants," said Matt Mills, emergency manager for the university. "If arrangements are made for a large-scale vaccination opportunity on campus, we will communicate internally as soon as details are known. Collier’s has requested that university employees not make appointments through the Collier Drug booking website as they are currently only accepting reservations for Phase 1-A eligible individuals." 

The following resources provide information about the types of COVID-19 vaccines and what to expect after being vaccinated: 

• COVID-19 Vaccine Information from the CDC
• COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs from the Arkansas Department of Health

If you have questions or need further information regarding the vaccination process or anything pertaining to COVID response, please contact hrassist@uark.edu.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.