Maricopa County vaccine sites that are NOT drive-thru? (Phoenix: neighborhoods, live in)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

The first vaccine to market, the one from Pzifer/BioNTech, requires storage at extremely cold temperatures below the range of the freezers found in most medical offices and pharmacies. That's one reason why centralized distribution at mass vaccination sites has been necessary. That should become less important as vaccines from Moderna and other companies become available.

I'm still wondering why the Phoenix Convention Center hasn't become a vaccination site. Its huge exhibit halls have been largely unused for nearly a year, and they provide more than enough space for an efficient walk-through operation. It's located along the light rail line and near multiple bus routes, making it just about the most accessible location possible.

The website for vaccine appointments asks for health insurance information, so I assume claims are being filed if the vaccine recipient is insured. The problem is that it asks for a lot of obscure information (group number, PO box for claims, etc.) every single time a user logs in. Maybe that information is not retained for privacy reasons, but's it's still incredibly annoying to have to re-enter it every time I feel like beating my head against the wall in a fruitless search for an appointment slot.

If the website were better designed, it would capture insurance information only after an an appointment slot has been found. It would also display a calendar interface with available dates indicated rather than making a user click on every single date only to find that none are available.

Ditto on the website gripes.

As far as using convention centers, if it's a drive through site that should work, but if people have to park and walk inside then you have two issues: (1) parking, and; (2) 'distancing' which is not a problem in drive-throughs. Keeping people in their cars is an automatic and self-enforcing social distance solution.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

As far as using convention centers, if it's a drive through site that should work, but if people have to park and walk inside then you have two issues: (1) parking, and; (2) 'distancing' which is not a problem in drive-throughs. Keeping people in their cars is an automatic and self-enforcing social distance solution.

These points have already been addressed in previous posts, but I'll repeat them:

Not everyone would drive and need parking. The whole theme of this thread is vaccine access for those who don't drive to the site. An exclusively drive-thru approach denies vaccine access to those who don't arrive via car.

A drive-thru approach encourages more driving and more vehicle idling. The resulting emissions have their own health impacts, including enhanced susceptibility to COVID-19, the very problem we're trying to solve through vaccination.

Having some drive-thru sites is not necessarily a bad move, but any approach that makes it difficult to be vaccinated without being in a car has such a myopic focus that it ignores broader public health concerns.

Also, I'll add that the Phoenix Convention Center has tons of parking for those who would choose to arrive via car. There are several levels beneath the center, and numerous garages nearby. Most of those are underutilized because most events have been cancelled and many people are still working at home.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

No one would have to pick people up and take them home if 1) sites were accessible via public transit 2) walk-through access were provided. In terms of #1, the State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Muni sites are on bus routes, but they're set up in such a way that someone has to be seated in a car in order to be vaccinated, so #2 is still a barrier. That's not only disenfranchising (a word choice I endorse), but it also adds the negative effects of additional driving and vehicle idling to the impact of the pandemic. Having some drive-thru sites may be an efficient way to provide mass vaccination, but a strategy that relies primarily or exclusively on access by car is a failure when the big picture of public health is considered.

Even if every drug stores and grocery store pharmacy have it, people will still have to be transported there.

Government can't be expected to do everything. You hit the nail on the head -- unintentionally -- when you point out that what we are working on now is mass vaccination. Is it perfect. No. Nothing ever is.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

I wouldn't use the term disenfranchised either. I would use the terms overlooked, forgotten, too complicated to deal with. . . And I'd include the homeless in that group. Exit2lef said it well.

Phetaroi: Please note that I never expected "government" to pick him up. My expectations are alternative locations that don't REQUIRE an individual to be sitting in a car to get a vaccine. Remember - not everyone has local family or friends to help.

I understand and I actually sympathize. I'm in my 70s and could be in the same category before too many more years. I can only say that here is my area, which is in Maricopa County -- Sun City West -- I understand that there are 3 sites essentially for walk-ins: the hospital, Safeway, and one of the other grocery stores. Getting an appointment is another matter.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I did not pay attention to the height, but it seems you could just go over to the side of an end tent and get it done there. It's pretty "roomy".

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping I can pick an end tent. Please forgive my anxiety... I would hate to have to reschedule.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping I can pick an end tent. Please forgive my anxiety... I would hate to have to reschedule.

There are people all over that direct you to a spot. They would see what you are driving and send you to an appropriate place.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

Even if every drug stores and grocery store pharmacy have it, people will still have to be transported there.

Government can't be expected to do everything. You hit the nail on the head -- unintentionally -- when you point out that what we are working on now is mass vaccination. Is it perfect. No. Nothing ever is.

Some vaccine recipients may drive, some may walk, some may ride a bike (or scooter or skateboard), some may take a bus or a train. Many might use a combination of those modes. All of those forms of transport involve government to some degree because the streets we use and the sidewalks beside them are public infrastructure. Saying that government can't be expected to do everything misses the point entirely. Right now, government (in this case the Arizona Department of Health Services and its Maricopa County counterpart) has already been favoring one mode of transport in their vaccination strategy and marginalizing the rest. Fortunately, that's beginning to change with the walk-thru site at Grand Canyon University, but even the GCU venue is subject to the same usability nightmare of a website as the drive-thrus. This effort is not merely imperfect. As this point, it's downright awful.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

Some vaccine recipients may drive, some may walk, some may ride a bike (or scooter or skateboard), some may take a bus or a train. Many might use a combination of those modes. All of those forms of transport involve government to some degree because the streets we use and the sidewalks beside them are public infrastructure. Saying that government can't be expected to do everything misses the point entirely. Right now, government (in this case the Arizona Department of Health Services and its Maricopa County counterpart) has already been favoring one mode of transport in their vaccination strategy and marginalizing the rest. Fortunately, that's beginning to change with the walk-thru site at Grand Canyon University, but even the GCU venue is subject to the same usability nightmare of a website as the drive-thrus. This effort is not merely imperfect. As this point, it's downright awful.

AZDHS Twitter says they have done 500,000 vaccines to date with 84,000 at State Farm. Not many were done at Phoenix Muni. So that leaves maybe 400,000 that were not drive through. They are doing nursing homes, school sites, hospitals etc in person. I think that SF is just the most visible one.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

AZDHS Twitter says they have done 500,000 vaccines to date with 84,000 at State Farm. Not many were done at Phoenix Muni. So that leaves maybe 400,000 that were not drive through. They are doing nursing homes, school sites, hospitals etc in person. I think that SF is just the most visible one.

The trouble is that those other sites are generally not open to the public and therefore not listed on the website. If someone happens to be working or staying at those sites, then they work. For those who are eligible but not covered by an on-site vaccination program, the options are limited.

Your comment makes me think of one story that actually makes me smile in the middle of this debacle. Someone I know works for a local healthcare provider. The organization was doing on-site vaccination for its employees and chose a drive-thru model. The person I know decided to ride his bicycle there anyway. When he arrived, the staff managing the site didn't turn him away. Instead, they waved him through to the beginning of the line because they were nervous about his bike mixing with cars in the drive-thru.

Based on the vague, non-committal answers I've gotten from Maricopa County Public Health, I'm not confident this would happen at a bigger site like the stadium, but I'm glad it worked out so well for him.

[phetaroi]

I would suggest that you go to NextDoor -- a website -- find the one local to your relative, and post to see if someone can help.