Flagstaff, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) announced a partnership with Coconino County, Northern Arizona University (NAU), and Northern Arizona Healthcare to open a state COVID-19 vaccination site in Flagstaff.
Launching Monday, April 19 at NAU’s University Union Fieldhouse, this indoor vaccination site will operate seven days a week from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., with the potential to expand hours to 7 p.m. It will offer around 1,000 appointments per day to start but will be able to administer more than 4,000 doses daily.
“We will continue to expand vaccination opportunities throughout the entire state as vaccine supply increases,” said Governor Ducey. “These safe and effective vaccines are the way back to normal life and protecting everyone, especially our most vulnerable.”
Other partners include the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Premier Medical Group is the primary site operator and will be responsible for the pharmacy and staffing. The site will offer the Pfizer vaccine, which is available to those age 16 and older. The county currently offers the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines, which are approved for those 18 and older.
“Coconino County has been a leader at vaccinating its residents, with a higher percentage of its population vaccinated than any other Arizona county, and we are excited to complement these efforts by opening this site,” said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. “Together, we are expanding Arizona’s success getting vaccines into the community as widely and equitably as possible.”
“Coconino County is excited to welcome the Northern Region Vaccination Site to our community and to expand vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and over,” said Kim Musselman, Coconino County health and human services director and COVID-19 incident commander. “Vaccination remains the single best step we can take towards slowing the spread of COVID-19 and stopping this pandemic. Coconino County is committed to ensuring vaccinations are accessible to all eligible individuals, and we appreciate the partnership with Arizona Department of Health Services, Northern Arizona University, Northern Arizona Healthcare, Premier Medical Group, and the many community health professionals and volunteers who have come together to make this happen.”
NAU’s University Union Fieldhouse, at 1050 Knoles Drive, has also been used to provide COVID-19 testing for the Flagstaff community.
“From COVID testing to critical research to vaccine distribution, NAU is proud of its efforts over the past year and enthusiastic about this expanded partnership with the State of Arizona, Coconino County, Northern Arizona Healthcare and Premier Medical Group to broaden vaccine access in Flagstaff,” said NAU President Rita Hartung Cheng. “We look forward to continuing to reduce the spread of this virus together and re-opening our community safely.”
Northern Arizona Healthcare, operator of Flagstaff Medical Center, will provide additional support for clinical staffing.
“Our fight against COVID-19 depends on vaccinations. Easier access to vaccines helps our communities reach the goal of herd immunity – significantly reducing the risk of COVID-19 to our families and friends as well as the distress to our counties and hospitals as a whole,” said Dr. John Mougin, chief quality officer for Northern Arizona Healthcare. “We appreciate the work of our state and county partners and Northern Arizona University in creating a POD to benefit the families of northern Arizona. Northern Arizona Healthcare is grateful to see this POD constructed as it will allow access to the vaccine for Coconino and surrounding counties.”
The state’s expansion of mass-vaccination beyond the Phoenix area also includes converting a University of Arizona site in Tucson to a state operation and also converting a site at the Yuma Civic Center in Yuma. The University of Arizona site has administered 123,582 doses and the Yuma site 9,705, while all state-run sites have administered a total of 1,128,006 doses.
To date, 3,962,537 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to 2,493,123 individuals in Arizona, including 1,615,029 who are fully vaccinated.
Appointments for the week of April 19 will be available starting at 11 a.m. Friday, April 16, by visiting podvaccine.azdhs.gov or calling 1-844-542-8201. Both have resources available in English and Spanish.
Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona, including pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, pop-up events in specific communities, and healthcare providers offering vaccination, can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/COVID19Vaccines.