SALISBURY, N.C. — The Salisbury VA Medical Center will host a mass COVID-19 vaccination event with the goal of vaccinating 1,000 veterans over two days.
The event, which is by appointment only, will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30-31. The vaccinations will be administered in the Building 6 gym for veterans who are 75 and over during the weekend time frame, according to a news release. Veterans who are front-line essential workers are also eligible for the vaccine by appointment only.
The Salisbury VA expects to have an additional 40 staff members including nurses, pharmacy staff, Dental Clinic volunteers, medical support assistants, and police officers at the gym to ensure the event runs smoothly.
“The job our staff has done so far with getting the COVID-19 vaccine to our patients has been incredible,” said Salisbury VA Health Care System Director Joseph Vaughn. “Our facilities lead the Mid-Atlantic Network in vaccinating Veterans.”
Salisbury VA Medical Center and its Health Care Centers in Charlotte and Kernersville have vaccinated more than 4,500 veterans and along with over half its employees, a Thursday press release stated. The leadership at the VA said they are hopeful to have more mass vaccination events.
“We will not let vaccine accumulate on our shelves,” said Gehle. “If we accumulate vaccine, we are going to get it into the arms of Veterans.”
Walk-in appointments will not be available at the vaccination event. According to a news release, the event came together quickly due to the employees at the Salibury VA’s support.
“The Veteran-centric attitude of our employees has been overwhelming,” said Salisbury VA Chief of Staff Randall Gehle. “We proposed this event and immediately had full staff support.”
