Need your COVID shot and want to save money on gas? Check out this free clinic at Kroger Field
Kentuckians can be vaccinated against COVID-19 and save on gas this week at Kroger Field.
From 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, a clinic will be offering free COVID vaccines and boosters at Kroger Field’s Green Lot. Each person who receives a shot will be given a $25 gas card.
Ryan Babb, a coordinator with the University of Kentucky HealthCare Department of Retail and Community Pharmacy Services, works with COVID vaccine clinics in retail pharmacies and mobile sites. He said the upcoming clinic is in conjunction with the Kentucky High School Athletics Association’s (KHSAA) Baseball and Fast Pitch State Tournaments, held on UK’s campus.
“There’s a big push with KHSAA to get all their athletes vaccinated, so the original intent was to provide these vaccines for participants and spectators as they were coming and going to the tournament,” Babb said.
However, he said the clinic is open to anyone ages five and older.
Babb added that the gas card incentive “worked out great,” as the clinic vaccinated over 200 people last weekend, and he anticipates more this weekend as news of the clinic spreads. Although this site will be in operation for only two days, he said plans are in motion to offer incentives like this one at future UKHC clinics.
This effort comes as COVID-19 cases are on the rise. As of Thursday, 151 new cases were reported in Fayette County, with a seven-day rolling average of 153 cases, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
For those looking to get vaccinated, Babb said they should bring a vaccination card if they have one, but they can also be looked up in the state’s system if they don’t have one.
“We’re just happy to be able to provide this opportunity for people to get vaccinated,” he said. “Anything we can do to increase vaccinations within our area ... we’re happy to do, and we’re just really glad that it’s been as successful as it has.”
High Five for Health
The vaccine clinic is the result of a partnership among several organizations, including the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Education and KHSAA.
Ashley Brauer is vice president of communication for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a nonprofit organization that helps meet Kentuckians’ health needs and promotes health equity. She said the clinic is part of a larger public service campaign from the Foundation and the Kentucky Department of Education called “High Five for Health.”
“We’re encouraging Kentucky students and their families to create and engage in healthy behaviors over the summer,” Brauer said. “We hope that they can adopt some of these healthy behaviors and in turn set themselves up for success in the next school year.”
One of these healthy behaviors is “stay up to date on vaccines,” and Brauer said the foundation hopes the upcoming clinic will encourage Kentuckians to get their immunization shots, not just for COVID-19.
“What we’ve seen over the course of the pandemic is that kids, and adults for that matter, are not necessarily getting their scheduled vaccines. So we’re talking about immunizations in general, as well as the COVID vaccines and boosters,” she said.
The campaign’s website offers immunization timelines for adults and children in five languages, as well as other resources for adopting healthy habits over the summer.