Veterans Affairs relocating COVID-19 vaccination site to Yuengling Center

A COVID-19 vaccination site currently located at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital is relocating to the Yuengling Center on March 30 to reach more of the Tampa community. ORACLE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

 

Veterans and their families, as well as family members of employees at the James A. Haley Veterans’ (VA) Hospital and Clinics, will be able to receive free COVID-19 vaccinations at a new Yuengling Center drive-up vaccination site starting March 30.

The new site is a collaboration between the veterans’ hospital and the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County as an effort to vaccinate more individuals. The Yuengling Center will allow the site to expand its operations and reach more of the community than it currently does at its site located at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

The original drive-up location was established in December in a lot adjacent to the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and has since vaccinated “tens of thousands of veterans and employees,” according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“The move to the USF’s Yuengling Center reflects the university’s long-standing commitment to community service and support of veterans in the Tampa Bay area,” the press release said.

Vaccinations are given by appointment only and eligible individuals can schedule their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech series at the Tampa VA’s EventBrite page. Following the appointment, vaccinated individuals will receive a time and date to return to the site 21 days later for their second dose.

To receive a vaccine from the site, individuals must meet the Florida vaccination guidelines outlined by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which currently includes individuals 50 and older, health care providers with direct patient contact and people determined to be extremely vulnerable by a physician.

“Those eligible to receive a vaccination must meet current Florida state eligibility requirements and belong to one of the below categories: veterans who are not enrolled in or eligible for VA health care (not VA patients), family members of veterans currently receiving care at VA (VA patients), family members of veterans not enrolled in or eligible for VA health care and family members of VA staff,” the press release said.

On the day of the appointment, individuals must bring their registration confirmation, a completed consent form as well as a form of identification, including their driver’s license or a government-issued ID.

More appointment times will be added to the EventBrite in the near future, according to the press release.